Tips To obTain Textbooks, v10

This is the current draft (April, 2009) of a document of suggestions to the following groups of people involved in the process of textbook purchase, selection, distribution and oversight:

1. Obtain the ISBN numbers of all textbooks before beginning the textbook selection process. The ISBN (International Standard Book Number) can be found on the back cover along with the bar code or inside along with the copyright information.

2. Buy required textbooks before classes begin. Buy recommended textbooks after classes begin. Instructor comments after classes begin may inform you as to which recommended texts will be valuable to you.

3. Order books on-line. Prices are often less than bookstore prices. Listings of companies can be found by using a search engine with the term "buy textbooks." Some companies may give discounts and reduced shipping costs for orders of multiple copies. Students could form informal groups to purchase an order together. Be sure to factor in shipping costs, shipping time, refund policies and ratings of the booksellers.

5. Buy and sell used books commercially. Buying and selling used books in college bookstores is the most trouble-free avenue. Using on-line dealers typically takes more time but is often financially beneficial.

7. Use on-line textbooks. Listings of companies can be found by using a search engine with the term "free e-share textbooks." An alternative is to buy access to on-line versions of the text available from the publisher. There are several aspects to consider: much lower price than hard copy, no resale, the considerable inconvenience of all usage being on-line.

8. Rent a textbook for a semester from a rental textbook company. Listings of companies can be found by using a search engine with the term "rental textbooks."

9. Check textbook links to your college bookstore and other college bookstores for comparison shopping.

10. Use an older edition of a textbook. Obtain instructor approval prior to purchase to assure suitability.

11. Use college library textbooks. When available, use of library owned textbooks is free.

1. Negotiate price with the publisher before adoption. Ask publishers for the net price of the textbooks and supplements, and then check with your campus bookstore to find out what will be their selling price to students. Factor this information into your adoption decisions. Faculty should not hesitate to work with the publisher to negotiate a lower net cost for their institution. Faculty should also make sure that their campus bookstore is aware that a special net price has been negotiated.

2. Consider cost efficient customized textbooks. Listings of companies can be found by using a search engine with the term "custom publishing textbooks." Be aware that in some cases, customization is little more than a different cover, title page or minimal changes to content. Such customization requires a new ISBN. If either the original text or the customized one can be used for the course, both ISBNs should be published.

3. Order and recommend only the books that will be used. Distinguish between required and optional materials.

4. Bundle only essential material. Assure that bundling any material will significantly reduce the costs to students. If you choose to include one-time-use materials in your bundle, consider the impact this may have on your students’ ability to sell the other materials back to the campus bookstore or to other students.

6. Skip a new edition cycle. Faculty should work in conjunction with the publisher and bookstore to insure a sufficient supply for the entire new cycle.

9. Place copies of current required texts on reserve in the library. Departments could draw on available complimentary copies not in use to reduce the immediate expense. Alternatively, libraries can coordinate with bookstores to maintain one or more copies of the current texts (new or used) on reserve in the library.

10. Place a link on the course websites to the campus bookstore's e-commerce web page where textbook information including ISBNs can be accessed.

Administrations/Bookstores

1. Require the price and ISBN number of the textbook as part of the textbook adoption process. Faculty members selecting textbooks need to factor in the price of textbooks into the adoption process. With the proliferation of customization and multiple editions, the ISBN number assures the chosen textbook is adopted and ordered.

2. Publicize to Faculty the selling price for textbooks. Bookstores should let instructors and departments know, when requested, the costs to the students of books under consideration so that instructors can factor final student costs into their adoption decision.

3. Cooperate with Faculty in skipping a new edition cycle. Bookstores could stockpile the textbook that was being continued instead of the next edition.

4. Publicize the options above to save on the costs of textbooks. Administrations should inform students that they might be able to purchase their textbooks more cheaply than at the college bookstore.

5. Institute keeping reserve copies of current required texts in the campus library. One option for providing the texts is for the library to borrow used texts from the bookstore. If the bookstore needed additional copies of the text, the bookstore could recall the text from the library.

6. Maintain an accurate web listing of ISBN numbers of all current textbooks.

7. Explore the viability of a textbook rental program on campus.

8. Establish a textbook affordability committee on your campus. A team of faculty, students, your campus bookstore and other stakeholders can collaborate to find ways to minimize the cost of textbooks to students.

MHEC

1. Hold fast to the principle that faculty are responsible for choosing textbooks. Instructors and departments should continue to have the academic freedom and professional responsibility for choosing instructional materials.

2. Consider a textbook buying service for Maryland colleges.