New law aims to lower textbook costs
Jun 30, 2008, 8:42 AM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)-- A new Missouri law is giving college professors information they can use to potentially lower the price their students pay for textbooks and other study materials.
Gov. Matt Blunt last week signed into law the Textbook Transparency Act. The measure requires textbook publishers to provide professors who are ordering the books the wholesale price and exactly what changes have been made from a textbook's previous editions.
The idea is that professors will be able to compare book content and choose cheaper books as long as they aren't providing less educational value. Also, they could tell students to buy a used, earlier edition if the content hasn't changed.
Assuming a professor used the same textbook year after year, that would also help the book's resale value, allowing students to recoup more of their money if they sell back their books at the campus bookstore.
The law's sponsor, Rep. Jake Zimmerman, D-Olivette, said his measure won't help the price of new textbooks, but could give students and their instructors more ways to save money.
"The perception is that professors have been left in the dark about how much a book is sold for," Zimmerman said. "Publishing companies make the pitch on the books that they will make the most money from."
