Category Archives: online textbooks

ebook prices

Posted on by
Reply

Amazon and major publishers colluded to keep e-book prices high, lawsuit says from r/books

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon/amazon-and-major-publishers-colluded-to-keep-e-book-prices-high-lawsuit-says/

Amazon and major publishers colluded to keep e-book prices high, lawsuit says

The same Seattle law firm that once sued Apple for propping up e-book prices to the detriment of consumers filed a nearly identical complaint against Amazon

Publishers Hachette, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster — together known as the “Big Five” — agreed not to allow retailers to sell e-books at lower prices than could be found on Amazon.com, the complaint alleges. More than 80% of all e-book sales occur on Amazon.

Federal and state regulators last year stepped up inquiries into anticompetitive practices by software giants Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook.

Ironically, today’s relatively high prices for e-books — on Amazon, some e-books cost more than hardcover editions — are, in part, the result of the incredibly low prices Amazon formerly charged, multiple media outlets have reported.

 

expensive textbooks

Posted on by
Reply

making textbooks affordable for students

Posted on by
Reply

The library’s role in making textbooks affordable for students

Thursday, December 12, 2019 1:00 pm
Central Standard Time (Chicago, GMT-06:00)
Textbooks costs continue to increase for students. Join ACRL, Choice, and Springer Nature for a lively webinar to gain insights into the ways librarians are actively working with faculty and teaching staff to promote the selection of licensed textbooks and other eBook types when planning courses and choosing materials.

Springer Nature is a leading STM and HSS publisher. Learn how Springer Nature eTextbooks, reference works, brief, and other book types found in Springer Nature’s ebook subject collections make high-value teaching resources available to students and academics. Institutional access to textbooks can save students hundreds of dollars, and because they are DRM free, students don’t have to worry about restrictions on downloads, printing, or saving.

Speaker(s): Liz King

Liz King has recently joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Libraries as Associate Director, Library Information Services, where she oversees daily operations of the Technical Services Department. Liz is looking forward to working on ongoing and new initiatives at Rensselaer Libraries. Of particular interest is the continued development of an information literacy strategy for the Rensselaer Libraries using both existing and new resources and partnerships. Liz is also an Adjunct, Associate Professor for the Business, Government, and Technical Communications Department at a very large community college. Prior to joining Rensselaer Libraries, Liz was a Research, Instruction, and Outreach Librarian at an emerging research university in Texas. When she’s not doing library-related things, Liz enjoys hiking and camping in the nearby Adirondack Mountains.

Please read the Choice/ACRL Privacy Policy and Personal Data Notification.

Register : https://choicereviews.webex.com/mw3300/mywebex/default.do?nomenu=true&siteurl=choicereviews&service=6&rnd=0.9421465906509021&main_url=https%3A%2F%2Fchoicereviews.webex.com%2Fec3300%2Feventcenter%2Fevent%2FeventAction.do%3FtheAction%3Ddetail%26%26%26EMK%3D4832534b000000045cc57bde03196ee421982c4b8af77dbdec5720a6772335eecf88faa3d35a59cc%26siteurl%3Dchoicereviews%26confViewID%3D145295610776420127%26encryptTicket%3DSDJTSwAAAARf8u7p5Huon2DS4NsA0UGxXS7VNJnjIOvn4_UIXjiLxQ2%26

SAVE THE DATE: Open Access Week

Posted on by
Reply

The University Library is hosting its 3rd Open Access Week events from Monday October 21st – Friday October 25th .  All events will take place in the University Library, MC 218.

Monday October 21st, 1 pm – 2 pm: Open Access Publishing

We will facilitate a discussion panel about open access publishing / open textbooks / OERs on this day.  Based on your experience with open access publishing, creating open textbooks or OERs, we invite you to participate in the discussion.

Wednesday October 23rd, 10 am – 11 am: Creative Commons 101

Know “the code” to re-use, remix, and communicate with others how you would like your works to be used.

Thursday October 24th, 2 pm – 3 pm: The Repository, Opendora, and Beyond

What is the best platform for your work? Learn about the different OA publishing options.

Textbook Spending

Posted on by
Reply

Textbook Spending Continues Slow Decline

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2019/07/25/spending-and-costs-textbooks-continue-decrease-according-surveys
Nick Hazelrigg July 25, 2019

According to the survey of more than 20,000 students across 41 institutions conducted by the National Association of College Stores, students on average spent $415 on course materials in the 2018-19 academic year, down from $484 last year. Student spending has declined almost every year in the last decade — in 2008 students spent an average of $700 on course materials.

An internal survey conducted by the textbook retailer Campusbooks.com found the company’s average textbook prices had fallen 26 percent in the last two years.

Nicole Allen, director of open education at the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, said the results are consistent with recent trends in the pricing of course materials.

Pearson and textbooks

Posted on by
Reply

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-48998789

textbook companies new options

Posted on by
Reply

https://www.edsurge.com/news/2018-01-09-as-textbook-companies-try-new-options-many-students-say-price-is-biggest-factor

Some publishers have recently started offering subscription options for textbooks. Take Perlego, a UK-based company which gives users access to a library of content, including digital textbooks. And starting in August 2018, textbook publisher Cengage will let students access all of the company’s digital higher education materials for $119.99 a semester.

Of the six students we talked to, only one had taken a class that used an Open Educational Resource, or OER in place of a commercial textbook.

Morris had never even heard of OERs, but after she was given a quick definition, she said she wishes she’d known about them and they seem like they could be beneficial for students if they can find what they need on them.

Abdala said she had never encountered OER in her courses, but she trusts that her professors would vett any materials carefully before assigning them. “Before I take a class I do research on the faculty,” she says. “And if it’s somebody that’s a good professor, I’m sure that they would not settle for something that is not good material.”