http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/story/2012-08-13/etextbooks/57039872/1
University of Colorado's bookstore has doubled the number of textbook rentals it's making available as the option has become hugely popular with students trying to save some money. About 2,200 of the 5,000 textbook titles offered at the official bookstore in the University Memorial Center are available to rent. E-books haven't gained much traction with students and the National Association of College Stores reports that about three-quarters of students still prefer traditional books. Read more at:
http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_21344389/cu-boulder-doubles-number-textbook-rentals-available-time
While several colleges across the country are pushing electronic textbooks, touting them as more efficient and less cumbersome than regular textbooks, students are reluctant. E-textbooks still account for only 9% of textbook purchases, says Student Monitor, which researches college student behavior. For University of Wisconsin senior Leslie Epstein, having to buy an e-textbook only added to her expenses. She still found herself printing a copy of her textbooks in the two classes that required an electronic version, and said despite the lower price tag of an e-textbook, she'd buy the print version of the text "every time." Read more at: http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/story/2012-08-13/etextbooks/57039872/1
University of Missouri officials spent all last week on the telephone with scholarly authors who want their book rights back because the UM Press is going digital. Ned Stuckey-French, a co-creator of the “Save the University of Missouri Press” Facebook page, said he has a list of 29 authors, including authors of “Dictionary of Missouri Biography,” calling for the university to return rights to their books. “I don’t want this pretend press that is run by students to have my book (“The American Essay in the American Century”),” Stuckey-French said. “I want it back. I don’t want my book to be associated with a vanity press. Read more at: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/08/11/3758292/mu-tries-to-persuade-university.html
A new type of textbook is threatening to disrupt a $4.5 billion industry that has so far avoided the media upheavals experienced in music, movies and trade publications. Open-source textbooks, free for students to use and for professors to modify, are being developed by more companies and adopted in more classrooms. They may work hand-in-hand with the rise in free online courses to revolutionize the way we view—and pay for—higher education. Those educators that have jumped into the open-source waters say there are great benefits for the students and for themselves. Read more at:
http://business.time.com/2012/08/10/free-textbooks-shaking-up-higher-education/?xid=rss-topstories#ixzz23K2h0Nle
It’s that time of year again, when students across the country get ready to spend serious money on college textbooks. But to get the best deals — on both buying books for the upcoming semester and selling your old texts — it may be worth paying closer attention to when you shop and sell. A recent analysis by Extrabux, a cash-rebate Web site, found that the best time for students to buy and sell textbooks was from Aug. 20 to Aug. 26, as well as Jan. 7 through Jan. 13. And the worst time to do it was from Nov. 19 to 25th and April 9 through the 15. Read more at:
http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/the-best-time-to-buy-and-sell-college-textbooks/?emc=eta1
The University of Minnesota hopes to lighten the load for students by finding textbooks that are less expensive or -- better yet -- free. "We were looking for options to make higher education more affordable and course materials just seem to be a sweet spot," said Dave Ernst, director of academic and information technology in the College of Education and Human Development. In April, the university launched Open Academics, a catalog that gives professors at the U a list of "quality" open textbooks that they can review and use. Read more at:
http://www.startribune.com/local/165524646.html?refer=y
The director of UNO Press, the University of New Orleans’ ambitious, nationally regarded book publishing venture, will lose his job in the current round of state-mandated budget cuts for public universities in Louisiana. The director of UNO Press, the University of New Orleans’ ambitious, nationally regarded book publishing venture, will lose his job in the current round of state-mandated budget cuts for public universities in Louisiana. The fate of the publishing venture remains unclear, Lavender said. Read more at:
http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2012/08/visionary_director_of_uno_pres.html
For five weeks each summer Rare Book School brings some 300 librarians, conservators, scholars, dealers, collectors and random book-mad civilians together for weeklong intensive courses in an atmosphere that combines the intensity of the seminar room, the nerdiness of a “Star Trek” convention and the camaraderie of a summer camp where people come back year after year. For many Rare Book School is an important networking opportunity. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/books/rare-book-school-at-the-university-of-virginia.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120724
Half a dozen universities have closed or suspended their presses over the past three years. Utah State’s press had to join a consortium of university presses in Colorado to survive. Another press, at Louisiana State, was spared after cutting the staff and making other organizational changes. Scholars argue that university presses are vital for academic discourse. They publish erudite texts that commercial presses do not, giving scholars a forum to share and further research. Other universities have taken steps to revolutionize their publishing systems. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/18/us/university-of-missouri-press-closing-incites-anger.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss
I am the Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services at Temple University.
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