[A2k] WA textbooks disclosure bill passes, Dept of Ed hearings wrap up...

[Dave Rosenfeld]

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Hey A2Kers,

Just forwarding a formal update about college textbooks prices that I've
been circulating to various lists this week.  Some of it's pretty obvious
stuff to this crowd, but you might find some of it interesting.

Dave Rosenfeld

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Hello all:



A few interesting things around the issue of college textbook prices have
happened this spring worth sharing.



First, WA Governor Gregiore signed the country's second law requiring
college textbook publishers to proactively tell faculty the price of all the
products they are selling - during the sales conversation.  This comes on
the heels of a similar
<http://www.cga.ct.gov/2006/ACT/PA/2006PA-00103-R00HB-05527-PA.htm>
Connecticut law passed last year and a new report
<http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com/newsroom.asp?id2=30443>  by the
Student PIRGs showing that publishers do not adequately disclose price
information to faculty, who care about the cost of textbooks and want better
information.



The root of this problem lies in the way the textbook market is set up, in
which the person who orders textbooks (faculty) is not the same person who
purchases textbooks (students).  Economics 101 therefore dictates that price
will not be a dominant factor in the sales conversation and subsequently,
more expensive books end up on the shelves.  Publishers, keenly aware of the
dynamic this situation sets up, cynically exploit the situation by keeping
pricing information to a minimum - something they'd never get away with in a
more open market.



The disclosure law - similar bills are pending in MA, CA, IL, MD and OR -
isn't a silver bullet, but it should help re-inject price back into the
sales conversation and provide a helpful tool to get less expensive options
on the table.  We plan to conduct follow up studies in the next year or so,
and would love to work with any faculty out there interested in
collaborating on a report.



Second, the Department of Education wrapped up its last round of field
hearings in Portland, OR last week, as part of its yearlong
<http://www.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/acsfa/edlite-txtbkstudy.html>  report
to Congress on potential solutions to the problem.  The study was requested
by Congressmen David Wu (D-OR) and Buck McKeon (R-CA), part of a follow up
to last year's Government
<http://www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-05-806>  Accountability
Office study that confirmed much of our own research on the problem.  I
testified at the hearing (see my
<http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com/newsroom.asp?id2=26560>  initial
written comments to the DOE), along with several others, including some
extremely interesting folks from Connexions <http://cnx.org/> , Rice
University Press <http://ricepress.rice.edu/index.html>  (RUP) and
California State <http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm>  University (CSU).




I think Connexions, RUP and CSU have hit upon some powerful innovations that
just might provide the tipping point to changing the textbooks market for
the better.  Their programs vary, but the basic principle is that there is
plenty of openly licensed <http://creativecommons.org/> , high quality
learning content out there already on nearly every subject that is not under
the thumb of the traditional publishing industry.  By getting this content
on the Web in an organized fashion, with some proper incentives for the
academics who develop this content, and a simple enough system for average
instructors to use - faculty can create high quality textbooks for a
fraction of the cost of traditional books.



This is not just about "online" vs. "paper" textbooks.  The content that
Connexions, RUP and CSU offer can be used in both digital and print only
formats, depending on the proclivities of the faculty and students who use
them.  What is unique is that the offerings are free or very low cost.



These guys are not the first, nor the only ones who offer this kind of
content.  Freeload <http://www.freeloadpress.com/index.aspx>  Press offers
free downloadable books (subsidized with ads, which we have some
reservations about), and independent authors have put their books on the
web, such as Daly <http://www.ochem4free.com/page.php?54> 's Organic
Chemistry Book and Crowell <http://www.lightandmatter.com/index.html> 's
Physics Books.  But it is a unique innovation to house this type of content
on official, university-sanctioned sites, after having been peer-reviewed by
other faculty - one that might hasten the emergence of this content into the
mainstream.



Look for more on these developments in the coming months.  And we will be
sure to keep you all posted on the Department of Education's
recommendations, and our analysis of them as they emerge.  Please keep us
posted on related developments on your end.



Best,



Dave Rosenfeld





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