By MARC KOVAC
mkovac@dixcom.com
COLUMBUS
Publishers would have to provide less costly electronic versions of textbooks to students, and stores would have to buy back books for at least 50 percent of the original cost, under legislation being introduced in the Ohio House.
Democratic state Reps. Matt Lundy from Elyria and Matt Patten from Strongsville are offering the proposed law change as a means of containing college costs for Ohio students. “In tough times like these, every penny counts,” Lundy said during a press conference Tuesday at the Statehouse.
The legislation would require publishers to offer electronic versions of textbooks as lower-cost alternatives of standard books. In pilot e-book programs already in place at some Ohio colleges, students are paying about half the cost of certain textbooks when purchased in an electronic format, Lundy said.
Additionally, the bill would implement bulk purchasing among state universities to lower the cost of textbooks used by students at various campuses and prohibit the bundling of textbook materials — meaning students would purchase only the materials they need and not extras.
Bookstores also would be required to pay at least 50 percent of textbooks’ original value when buying them back at the end of a semester. That compares to 15 percent or 20 percent that is often the case, Lundy said. And professors would be prohibited from accepting publishers’ incentives for selecting textbooks used in classes.
Comments
It is hard enough to get them to actually take your book, requiring them to give you atleast 50% means they probably won't take it at all or they'll charge an arm and a leg when you have to buy one.
I never buy a book unless it is for a class where you need it for homework every night or I already planned on keeping it as a reference. Otherwise, just go to the library.... they do keep all books on reserve for that very reason.
The problem with Ebooks is that while they cost like half of a regular book... you can't sell it back and it expires at the end of the quarter... not too helpful if you want to keep something or use it for multiple classes. They are also a pain to read.
If professors are accepting incentives for selecting one textbook over another they should be fired.
You could always save some money and rent your textbooks at eCampus.com. eCampus.com is a growing textbook retailer that has just developed a textbook rental program. We rent textbooks for around 45% of the list price. Our rentals allow students to keep a lot more cash in their pockets.
Check em out: www.eCampus.com/rent-textbooks.asp