Universities try to cut textbook costs

The practice of bundling — packaging textbooks, CDs, quizzes and supplementary material for one price — and requiring students to buy newly printed editions of standard textbooks are setting students and their parents back about $800 annually, according to the National Association of College Stores.

“Bookstores can’t buy back bundled books once they are opened, and students lose a significant amount of money,” said Robert Somers, bookstore director at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

College textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of annual inflation over the past two decades, according to the National Association of College Stores, an organization advocating for affordable education materials.

“On top of book bundling, we are starting to see frequent new editions appearing in two- [or] three-year cycles,” said Sue Riedman from the Used Textbook Association, an advocacy group for affordable educational materials in higher education.

Richard Hershman, director of government relations for the National Association of College Stores, said universities are facing a “perfect storm” of declining support from state budgets and increasing textbook costs.

“Resources that enhance textbooks are driving prices skyward,” Hershman said. “A related issue is whether students are even using required text. Whole books go unused, creating a greater concern to students.”

And while college students have found ways of swapping books online at a fraction of the original cost, trading may be problematic, Somers said.

“Often professors change their minds about the texts, and students are stuck with a book they bought online from peer-to-peer trading,” he said. “Postage costs are increasing, and the discrepancy [between buying online or a bookstore] is getting closer to university costs.”

Andrew Friedson, University of Maryland’s student body president, said making book titles available online for students could be profitable, but in terms of changes, universities need to deal with these issues internally. While the state needs to place restrictions on publishers, professors need to limit their use of required new editions.

“Unbeknownst to students, in many cases you can use the fifth edition for $20 instead of the seventh edition for $150. We’re paying for our education, and it’s too much,” Friedson said.

Today’s Textbooks

Here are the list prices for a sampling of new textbooks. Lower prices can be found online.

Cost Accounting (12th Edition, Charles Horngren): $170.67

Organic Chemistry and Package (Sixth Edition, L.G. Wade Jr.): $168 new

Business Communications — Process and Product (Mary Ellen Guffey): $145.95

Cultural Anthropology — Human Challenge (William Haviland): $119.95

Microbiology — An Introduction (Ninth Edition, Christine Case): $160.40

Source: Textbook411.com

Less is More

Smaller publishing companies, such as those affiliated with New York University Press, have discovered ways to offer inexpensive materials to students. The lack of commercialism reduces their book costs.

“Under the university, we are able to offer paperback books,” said Fred Nachbaur of NYU Press. In the future, students will have digital access to material through NYU Press, creating more savings and accessibility.

lduffy@baltimoreexaminer.com