Overpriced: College textbooks  - Editorials - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -

" ... On Nov. 14, Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Al Franken, D-Minn., introduced the Affordable College Textbook Act in the U.S. Senate. Reps. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Texas, and George Miller, D-Calif., introduced it in the House. Their legislation would create 'open textbooks,' which college students could read, download and print. Using 'open textbooks' to replace traditional textbooks could cut student costs between 80 percent and 100 percent, the sponsors contend. All college campuses have university-affiliated bookstores. Some of those stores have exclusive rights from publishers to sell textbooks on campus, preventing competition from other stores. But students can shop around and buy books cheaper online or from friends. Today, publishers print new editions of textbooks constantly, even when they are not really needed. Some publishers also offer professors catered lunches or gift cards if they assign their textbooks to students. There is little incentive to hold down costs if students are simply encouraged to run up more student debt to meet their needs. In this snowballing digital age, there's no reason to force students to buy $100 or $200 printed texts. Professors who refuse to assign overpriced books can play a major role in controlling costs."