The whole package

With the start of a new school year comes a number of experiences: new classes, new friends, new instructors and challenges. And, as every student dreads, new textbooks.

With textbook costs already as high as they are, students tend to seek the best deal they can find. The use of online auction sites, used-book stores and textbook rental services is on the rise. But for some students, these are not options. Many classes at PSU require custom textbook packages not available through any of these services.

Custom textbook packages are not the best option for students. These packages are expensive, not always well constructed and many classes do not utilize all of their components. They are seldom worth the money students are forced to pay for them.

These plastic-wrapped books with customized covers and access codes are anything but cheap; many cost upwards of $200, and once unwrapped, their value plummets to half the ticket price. They are a significant investment that can frustrate any student on a budget. Worst off are the students only taking one term of a year-long course that requires one of these packages. Kenneth Brown, the owner and CEO of the Portland State Bookstore, is quite familiar with these frustrations. “Textbook packages have been a part of the mix since I started here 15 years ago,” Brown said. He did note that the access codes in many of these packages are a more recent phenomenon, but for the most part the packages haven’t changed much.

Many of the complaints students had 15 years ago regarding custom packages are similar to the complaints he’s hearing now, but there is little he can do.

The packages received from the publishers are hit-or-miss much of the time. Some are well constructed, providing students with ample resources for a reasonable price. Each component is evaluated and used by the professors and students throughout the course. But often enough, these packages are not well constructed. Publishers send bundles of books and software that both instructors and students find tedious and unnecessary.

Even well constructed packages can contain unnecessary components, however. Different instructors in a series have different methods of teaching. The expensive access code to a course website that is necessary for one professor might be completely disregarded by another. But once the package itself has been opened, it cannot be returned; moreover, access codes cannot be sold back or returned.

These packages do have their positive aspects. Faculty members work with publishers’ representatives to decide which textbooks are used, while the bookstore works to accommodate these requests. Much of the time, it comes to a decision between conscientious study and a professor’s personal preferences. Historically, student economics haven’t been a big factor in these decisions. But Brown sees a change happening. “Faculty are being more sensitive,” he said. “They’re pushing the publishers harder to get more options for the students.”

These packages are being adapted as a result of faculty pressure. One primary complaint of students is that many textbook packages are far too expensive for single classes. This year, a few publishers have offered “split packages” where the material for one term is sold independently of the others, saving students a significant amount of money. It is certainly a step in the right direction.

However, very few publishers have taken this step so far. Most students taking one part of a three-term class are made to purchase the entire text, usually at exorbitant prices. For these students in particular, custom textbook packages are among the worst options available.

The number of alternatives is increasing, but presently the options aren’t so impressive. If a student does their shopping early enough, they can purchase used copies of the individual components they need of the package. Students can also use the “reserve” copies of their textbook at the library—if one is available—for up to two hours at a time. Digital textbooks have also become an option for some texts, though Brown finds that most students prefer paper books. The newest alternative, books printed on demand, shows a great deal of promise, though the program is still in its initial stages.

Students are always going to want a better deal, and custom textbook packages are not the way to go for that. Maybe in time, one of these alternatives will replace them. And when that happens, it’ll be a new day for the publishing industry.