Book prices going down

Another article about textbooks.  Keep reading this one:  Prices are finally down.

The protests and grumbles from the students of the Dallas County Community College District have been heard.

While it seemed as through the growing concerns of students regarding textbooks had been repeatedly pushed aside, there is a happy ending after all -- a savings of at least three percent through early 2015.

The new eight-year bookstore services contract with Follett Higher Education Group, Inc. began March 1, after approval by the DCCCD Board of Trustees.  Follett, a private company that has operated the district's campus bookstores since spring 2001, and the DCCCD are working together to benefit students in three ways:

• The district has accepted lower commissions for its book sales in order to lower the price of textbooks.

• DCCCD will receive an "upfront" payment of $350,000 from Follett that the district will use to offer book loans to students.

• Follett also will provide an additional $50,000 annually to the district for student scholarships.

According to Steve Ledford, the district director of auxiliary services for DCCCD, "the contract has been finalized."

However, according to Teresa Isbell, director of institutional research, the DCCCD had about 60,000 in the district last year.  If the 2007 student population is anywhere near that number, the $350,000 loan and the $50,000 scholarship fund will be split up among those students.

The criteria students must meet to receive the scholarships or loans from Follett are unclear:  Those requirements will be released at a later date.  What is clear is that the prices of books are at long last down.

The old contract priced new books at a profit margin of 25 percent.  Under the new contract, new books are priced at a profit margin of 22 percent.  This change in margin is said to save students more than $3 million over the life of the eight-year contract," according to a February press release from Ann Hatch, director of media relations for DCCCD.

Her press release also quoted Ledford as saying that "the district is very sensitive to the high costs of textbooks, and we will continue to emphasize the issue and make it a high priority".

When asked if the district had any other ideas regarding the lowering of high textbook prices, Ledford explained that a textbook committee has already met with one publisher, discussing bundling. Bundling is when publishers "bundle" books, study guides, CD's, etc., together in one package.

Bundling could be a good thing -- if the instructor uses all of the items available in a bundle.  If not, then the students could waste a log of money on something they don't even use.

Although students and breathe a little easier when it comes to text-book costs, it will be an ongoing issue.  The district has made it a high priority for future discussions.

Teachers can get involved in the struggle for cheaper textbooks by requesting older versions of books for their classes.  According to a recent art6icle in the Dallas Morning News, books are "barely changed across revisions."

Why not use an older book instead of a new book with a couple of words change, some teachers and students have asked.

Not just another article about textbooks.