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Possible Solution to Rising Textbook Rates
Textbooks are expensive – plain and simple. Regardless if students end up buying or renting professors’ required texts, chances are the total price is going to be substantial. Yet, there is a free way to cut costs that many University of Texas students have no idea about. The Perry Castaneda Library possesses around 700 books in the course reserves section. Any full-time student has access to these resources, and many teachers supply copies of their courses’ textbooks here. By not taking advantage of this free possibility, students are spending more money than necessary. Numerous people are angered over the continually rising costs of textbooks and continually diminishing buyback rates. Plan II undergraduate, Alex Wolford, said that she spent “over $250 on her German textbook alone and over $600 total this semester.” Expenses only appear to be increasing as the competition amongst textbook selling corporations is a thriving business. Charles Medlock, a representative from the UT Co-op, said that for the 2012 spring semester “40,000 new units, 37,000 used units and 5,000 rental units were distributed.” A strong rival, Brad North for West Campus Books, stated that “a little more than 16,000 books were moved for this past spring 2012 semester. Eighty-four percent of books were rented as opposed to nine percent purchased used, and seven percent were purchased new.” The issue at hand is that students do not utilize UT’s free resources. Yes, it is beneficial being able to highlight and take notes in personal textbooks, but so is the money individuals save by checking out the same model from the PCL for free. A Practical Companion to Ethics, a required read for students enrolled in Journalism 360, is available to purchase or rent online – it is also available for no cost at the PCL. Supporting the idea behind textbook checkouts, PCL Circulation Desk Manager, Margaret Alvarado, said that “we want people to check things out, we make it pretty easy to renew things.” By simply searching through the easy-to-use online course catalog, students could save a large sum financially. Henry IV, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Canterbury Talesare all mandatory reads for English 316K. Instead of spending money for these novels at the Co-op, West Campus books or juggernauts like Amazon, students should use the libraries multiple copies of each. The bit of extra work that may arise from not having a personal copy ultimately outweighs the growing financial burden of textbooks.
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