2019 Charleston Library Conference

Students have made it loud and clear that the cost of textbooks is unsustainable and expectations about whether student fees cover textbooks is a major issue on campuses and if they are to be sold, leased or free. Institutions and the academic marketplace are trying to address the situation. Every book is a potential textbook, but using it in a course is not so easy. Creating the perfect textbook is also no simple feat as teaching styles, academic calendars and access to different technologies vary. Curricular pathways differ at institutions where prerequisites are not the same. Faculty are often not incentivized to publish textbooks and some perceive academic freedom is challenged by others determining choices. Many variables contribute to contemporary textbooks in addition to the economics of publishing these materials. Price differential by discipline, format preference, rights management of content, compatibility with learning management systems and library participation suggest what needs attention and correction in this changing landscape. Libraries and the professoriate have addressed this with the creation of open educational resources but scaling this on a title-by-title or subject basis is slow, cumbersome and requires a major financial investment to release and leverage content. The textbook adoption model needs rethinking and publishers of these materials must partner with faculty and other stakeholders to explore new trajectories to release a viable concept of textbook that is affordable and reinforces strong learning outcomes capturing the content delivered in a variety of courses and institutional settings for students with many learning styles. Session offers insights into how publishers and providers are currently planning, who currently occupies this landscape, from leadership at Barnes & Noble who run 773 academic bookstores across the US, faculty and libraries who have launched solutions for wider adoption and new players entering this very fast changing marketplace.