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Alternatives to Textbooks E-books and Custom Publishing

Alternatives to Textbooks E-books and Custom Publishing. Jacob Berg, Sister Helen Sheehan Library January, 2010. Textbooks are expensive . Why? Revision Cycle 3 to 4 years, on average Enhanced Offerings CD-ROMs, web-based features Moral Hazard.

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Alternatives to Textbooks E-books and Custom Publishing

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  1. Alternatives to TextbooksE-books and Custom Publishing Jacob Berg, Sister Helen Sheehan Library January, 2010

  2. Textbooks are expensive Why? • Revision Cycle • 3 to 4 years, on average • Enhanced Offerings • CD-ROMs, web-based features • Moral Hazard

  3. Increase in Textbook Price By Year, 1986-2004

  4. National Association of College Stores, 2008

  5. What does this mean for you? • Students don’t buy textbooks Use the library, or they don’t read the book Assignments suffer * Numbers not yet final

  6. Pros Cheap Portable Embedded/linked in Moodle Cons Students don’t like them May be dependent on an Internet connection In some cases, students cannot access the book after the course is over Solution 1: e-books

  7. Solution 1.1: Open-access • Google is your friend • University consortiums are your friend, too

  8. 1.1: What’s an open textbook? Generally, open textbooks allow users: • to use the textbook without compensating the author • to copy the textbook, with appropriate credit to the author • to distribute the textbook non-commercially However, there may be restrictions on modifying or printing Source: Open Access Textbooks, www.openaccesstextbooks.org/projectInfo.html

  9. Open vs. Traditional Textbooks

  10. Open Textbooks in Practice • Test Case: Statistics • Introductory Statistics vs. Collaborative Statistics • Bookstore vs. Open Access e-book • Costly vs. Free

  11. Solution 2: Custom Publishing • Through the bookstore (eFollet) • http://www.ladcustompub.com/ • http://www.xanedu.com/ • Through a publisher (e.g., Pearson) • Flat World Knowledge • Free e-book or low-cost print on demand (POD)

  12. Pros Less expensive Customizable Cons No re-sale value Not as sturdy Solution 2: Custom Publishing

  13. Solution 3 • Textbook Rentals • Cheaper than buying • Cheaper than an e-book • (http://cafescribe.com/) But supply is often limited

  14. Wrapping Up • Consider either e-books or a custom published book in place of textbooks • Especially true of Trinity Online courses • Non-traditional textbook options are not a panacea • They may not be right for you Contact: Jacob Berg, bergj@trinitydc.edu, x9357 Eddie Lewis, Trinity Bookstore Manager, 0083mgr@fheg.follett.com, x9157

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