Make Textbooks Affordable: News Room

Make Textbooks Affordable: News Room

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Press Releases

5 Tips to Help College Students Get the Most Bang For Their Used Books ~ 12/14/2009

With textbooks costing the average student about $900 per year, reselling used textbooks to the bookstore is a common practice to recoup some of this hefty expense. However, many students are shocked at how little they get back. The Student PIRGs offer the following tips to help students be smart consumers and get the most bang for their books.

New Report Suggests Technology Could Reverse Skyrocketing Textbook Prices ~ 10/29/2009

New products, such as the Kindle and iPhone, have the potential to drive textbook costs down dramatically, according to new data released today by the Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs). The survey of 1,133 students from 17 colleges looked at student attitudes toward various textbook formats. The findings suggest that there is substantial student demand for new ways to experience textbooks, and new competition in the marketplace could drive prices down.

Students Promote Free Online Textbooks in National Day of Action ~ 11/13/2009

Students across the country fought back yesterday against outrageous textbook prices by participating in national Day of Action to promote open textbooks – textbooks licensed to be free online and affordable in print. Motivated by rapidly rising college textbook costs, student volunteers on 30 campuses educated more than 2,000 professors about switching to open textbooks. Increased faculty interest in affordable alternatives could threaten the reign of expensive, traditional textbooks.

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Knowledge for rent: More stores offering college textbooks on loan (The Dallas Morning News) 2010-01-04

You can rent an apartment, a car or a DVD. Now add college textbooks to the list expensive items that people are renting because they are short on cash or looking for a better deal. Meanwhile, a few professors and colleges are experimenting with free online textbooks.
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E-books go to college, but books still rule the campus, not Kindle (Daily Finance) 2009-11-19

Many campuses have beefed up their e-book availability, but the overall interest in e-reading doesn't jibe with students' desire to switch to an all-digital environment.
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Editorial: Open-source textbooks ease barriers for students (UConn Daily Campus) 2009-11-16

Open-source textbooks offer a way to eliminate the exorbitant costs of buying textbooks.
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