Some New Thoughts on the Textbook Issue

Let's say a library can afford to purchase every textbook and add to the collection when new editions are being published. Is the library properly serving its students? I think not.

A student must have access to a required textbook 24/7. Let's say a student is relying on the library for his calculus textbook. He may have to travel from home to get to the library. He then comes to the reserve desk and finds out that someone has checked it out and must wait a few hours to get it.

I understand students' pain when they see the price of their textbook. Last week a student told me that she is waiting for her book from Amazon.com where she bought since their prices were less than the bookstore. I think that students, faculty and librarians must fight back:

1. The open source textbook movement should accelerate.
2. Faculty should put pressue on publishers not to change the editions. Does freshman level chemistry, calculus, or physics change over the years? The publishers create new editions to dry up the used textbook market. It seems that the problem sets in textbooks change in newer editions.
3. Faculty must ensure that the textbook is used extensively. I have heard students complain that they have to buy the book, but it is hardly used.
4. Perhaps students can form a study group and split the cost of the textbook.
5. This semester the NJIT bookstore is renting textbook reducing the cost by 50%

My major disappointment is that students have to come to the reference desk to ask if the library has their textbook. All students must know how to look up a book in the library. If they can't do that they have flunked Information Literacy 101.