Levi Brandenburg
Contributing Writer
lbrandenburg1@murraystate.edu
Textbook prices have decreased within the last few years as digital textbooks are becoming more popular.
From 2017 to 2019, the average overall price of textbooks fell about 26 percent. The data, collected by the textbook price comparison website CampusBooks Inc., covered the prices of 500,000 student textbook purchases through its site from Aug. 2017 through Jan. 2019.
Andrew Dowdy, assistant director of textbooks and general merchandise, said the University Bookstore has experienced a noticeable effect.
“The bookstore has already noticed major changes in our operations as the industry shifts to a more digital format,” Dowdy said. “We have set up a program called Inclusive Access, which deploys digital materials to students through canvas, to embrace the change as we see how it financially benefits our students.”
Dowdy said switching to digital copies has lowered prices. For example, the physical textbook for MGT 553 was $248 for students. However, through the Inclusive Access Program, it was only $54.10 for the e-book.
Arthur Boston, scholarly communication librarian, set up a display in Waterfield Library to gauge how much money students have spent on textbooks this semester.
“Colleagues of mine have used similar interactive displays in their libraries and it looked like the perfect tool to spark and share a similar conversation with our campus,” Boston said. “My intuition has been that our students are likely spending quite a bit on their textbooks, in line with national trends. This display puts that theory to the test.”
Boston said he thinks this is an important topic because while textbooks serve their purpose as a learning tool, they can also be the source of some students’ financial distress.
“Textbooks should be the last thing that causes a student to decide where to enroll or whether or not to eat,” Boston said. “To be clear: I don’t think the fault lies with our bookstore; if blame is to go anywhere, we might start with certain book publishers for exploiting captive markets.”
Some students said they have noticed the increased pressure on publishers, though few are noticing its benefits.
“I spent $350 on textbooks for this semester alone,” April Keel, freshman from Cadiz, Kentucky, said. “The textbooks will be used once and then I’ll likely never use them again. Some professors don’t even use the textbooks they require you to buy for their class.”
Antje Gamble, assistant professor of art history, said she does not require textbooks unless students are required to read them.
“I do my best to keep textbook prices in my classes at or below $50 if possible,” Gamble said. “I try to balance the quality of the book to the cost. Sometimes the best book goes over my limit, but I don’t make choices to require expensive textbooks lightly.”
The News ran a poll on Facebook and Twitter asking students if their professors required textbooks for this semester.
On the Facebook poll, 159 people responded. 55 percent voted yes, but 45 percent voted no. The Twitter poll showed similar results with 40 responses. 53 percent voted yes, while 47 percent voted no.