Strategies for Bookstores & Background Department Heads In 2007, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education produced a report on strategies for reducing textbook prices, with advice from a task force representing • Develop automated, online and easily accessible bookstores, students, faculty, publishers and others. textbook information for faculty. The report is available online at www.ohe.state.mn.us • Enable faculty to place orders online and provide clear under “Reports”. deadlines. • Provide price information to faculty. • Assist faculty in planning negotiations with publishers for reduced prices. • Determine the availability of less expensive editions of textbooks (e.g., printed on less expensive paper or without color) and provide this information to faculty. • When student registration is complete, e-mail students the ISBN of the textbooks required for the course, thereby giving students the option to purchase textbooks online. REDUCING • Explore ways that departmental coordination could reduce costs for students. Departments could consider TEXTBOOK COSTS: using a standard book for all sections of introductory level courses so that used books will have more resale Campus Strategies for Students, value. Faculty & Staff • Facilitate regular communications among bookstore managers, department heads, students and faculty. Books are an essential part of Strategies for Students • Avoid requiring any book that is not going to be used in its entirety. Reconsider requiring supplemental higher education. Behind every • Meet with faculty and bookstore managers to identify materials such as course packets, which often have opportunities for reducing textbook costs. Consider steep costs. great college course are high-quality programs such as book exchanges or textbook rental programs. • Evaluate new editions carefully before adopting them reading materials, thoughtfully to be sure that changes are significant. • Consider options such as used textbooks and e-text- selected to enhance student books. If practical, share books with other students. • If your field generally builds a course around a single textbook, identify multiple acceptable textbooks and learning. Textbooks can guide • Obtain the list of required books in advance of the ask the bookstore to invite bids from publishers for start of the course to allow time to locate the required reduced prices. Select the least expensive. discussions, frame issues, illustrate textbooks at the best prices. Comparison shop online. • Consider using high quality, newly published and processes, identify critical questions • Understand the return policy before buying, especially reasonably priced paperback trade books from the the deadline for refunds. Save sales receipts. Keep new field, rather than textbooks. Compensate by devoting and generally enrich the classroom books in pristine condition. more class time to the overview content a textbook would provide. experience in important ways. • Be certain that a textbook purchased online is an acceptable version for class, and review the online • When possible, consider using electronic library store’s return policy. access to recent scholarly journals to make the course Yet in recent years, the price of college textbooks has content more current and reduce book costs. Libraries become a growing concern for students and others who • Sell back books at the end of the term, by the desig- typically have electronic subscriptions that make care about keeping college costs affordable. nated deadline. materials available at no cost. Nationally, colleges report an increase in textbook costs • Check the campus or public library for copies of books, • When practical, allow multiple editions to be used for of about 19 percent over three years, from academic especially supplemental books that are not textbooks. a course. Faculty may need to make adjustments in 1 year 2003-04 to 2006-07. Full-time students pay an reading and homework assignments to accommodate 2 average of $898 per academic year for textbooks, and multiple editions. are often surprised by the required expense, which is Strategies for Faculty • Work with the bookstore early to learn about often the last and least anticipated expense encountered (Not all strategies are applicable to all academic fields) after they enroll. potential textbook changes so it can order adequate • Provide textbook information to students as early as supplies of books and try to get as many used books As policymakers and higher education systems explore possible to allow them time to comparison shop. as possible. the issue further, there are actions that can be taken immediately on college campuses to reduce the cost • Include in the course syllabus a statement of the book • Participate in the campus bookstore advisory of textbooks. Early planning and communication on costs in the bookstore or online. Describe the books committee. campus are important components of any plan to and indicate which, if any, might be appropriate for • Explain to students why specific textbooks are chosen reduce textbook costs for students. students to share. for each class. Discuss how the text fits within the These strategies were produced with input from a group • Ask textbook company sales representatives for price course. of stakeholders committed to identifying strategies for information. Make it clear that price is an important • Obtain feedback from students at the end of the keeping textbooks and other course materials affordable consideration for you. for students. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education course on how the required material aided their convened students, faculty, bookstore operators and • Submit textbook orders to the bookstore well in learning. advance. When possible, place textbook orders before publishers to generate ideas for taking more control of • Consider putting copies of books (particularly recom- the bookstore’s book buyback. Placing orders before book costs. mended titles) as well as supplemental materials on the bookstore’s scheduled shipment also lowers costs. Use the strategies in this brochure as a starting point reserve in the campus library. • If supplemental material is sold with the textbook for discussions on campus and with other partnering • When possible, faculty at one institution in collabora- (a practice commonly called bundling), make sure all institutions. tion with other institutions can create their own parts of the bundle are used for the course. If all learning supplements or make them available online pieces are not needed, work with the bookstore to to their students to eliminate textbooks for that class. 1 College Board’s annual survey of colleges (2007) order only what is needed. 2 Federal Government Accounting Office (2005)