Textbooks: a hot topic

Buying a textbook was much easier 40 years ago than it is today.

"It was simple then," said Steve Ledford, auxiliary business manager for the Dallas County Community College District. "The faculty would tell us how many books they needed; we would place an order, put the books on the shelf and they would sell for $6.95. It's much more complicated these days."

In recent years, prices have risen twice as fast as the rate of inflation.

Ledford attributes the rapid increase to sales and buybacks of used books. The used-book trade, he explains, has prompted publishers to revise and update textbooks at a faster pace in order to spur sales.

The practice of bundling several textbooks into a buyer-must-take-all package also has driven up prices, Ledford said.

And technology, such as digital delivery via e-books and devices like the Kindle reader, also affects the textbook market, he pointed out. Other technological forces that have changed sales include Web access codes and online study guides and open-source Web sites, which allow teachers around the world to contribute to a subject and students to gather that information for free.

The depressed economy isn't helping the situation, either.

Take North Lake College student Fahad Taher, for example: "I've had semesters where my textbook costs were as much as my tuition. In some cases, I would have to borrow books from my friends because I couldn't afford them."

High costs have driven Congress to take action. In August 2008, the Higher Education Opportunity Act was enacted. Parts of it are intended to help provide more communication between publishers and professors. Sec. 133 (a) of the act states that: "the purpose of this section is to ensure that students have access to affordable course materials by decreasing costs to students … while supporting the academic freedom of faculty members to select high quality course material for students."

The act will encourage universities to inform students about campus programs to reduce textbook costs.

By July 1, 2010, publishers will be required to share information with faculty members about the price of books, the cost of each book and the price charged to the student. The act also will require publishers to provide a description of content revisions made to the current edition of a textbook, listed in comparison to its previous edition.

In 2007, the District entered into a new contract with Follett Corporation, which operates the bookstores on all DCCCD campuses. The District agreed to accept lower commissions on the sale of new books. Under the old contract, the District accepted a 25 percent commission; under the new contract, it accepts a 22 percent commission.

A book that publishers price at $75 would be $100 at the bookstore at the 25 percent rate.

But that same book under the 22 percent rate would cost $96.15. That's 3.85 percent better than the college bookstore industry standard.

Commissions from the bookstores are used to fund DCCCD campus health centers, athletic departments, and Student Programs and Resources.

"We [the DCCCD] have lower prices of new books than all the colleges in Texas," Ledford said.

Even though textbook costs are high, Follett has contributed to helping students, Ledford said.

When the contract was negotiated, Follett gave an upfront contribution of $350,000 to the District. The District is using that money for student loans.

Annually, Follett provides $50,000 that DCCCD uses to provide students scholarships for textbooks. (For more information, contact the NLC Financial Aid Office at 972-273-3320.).

The high cost of textbooks has forced many students to search for alternative ways to get books.

Edwin Exantus, a new North Lake College student, said in order to save money this semester, he probably will buy used textbooks.

"There will be an emphasis [in the District] put on used-book prices, plus prices to buy back," Ledford said. "Right now, used books are the best solution for students as far as saving money."

Buying used books isn't the only option, though. Renting textbooks is becoming ever more popular.

"We've seen a huge increase in our business," said Colin Barceloux, CEO of BookRenter.com, which in 2006 was the first book renter site to be launched on the Internet. "We expect to see the highest back-to-school month this January."

According to Barceloux, renting can be considerably cheaper-up to 75 percent cheaper-than paying retail. Most books can be rented on a 30-day to semester-long basis.

Barceloux said the increase in business is due to satisfied students spreading the word of their experience.

Ledford said that Follett has run some pilot programs on book renting in the past, but "it didn't work well for them. The problem with renting for companies is they must provide all books and educational materials; there's an inventory investment; and space to keep all the books is an issue."

Although the District has no book-renting program now, Ledford said that in the future there could be some pilot programs for books needed for core courses.

Although the price of textbooks isn't going to come down any time soon, the rise in alternative ways to buy books can help. "Personally, I'm interested in getting lower costs to students," Ledford said.