The deadline for spring semester textbook orders was October 1: a reminder that book orders for the spring semester are now due as per ASU policy. The Arizona Board of Regents continues to be interested in our progress in this area. Our colleagues efforts have made a material impact. At the last Academic Affairs Committee of the Board where textbook issues were discussed (last spring), the Arizona Student Association reported that students are now spending about $300 less per year on books than in earlier years. So these efforts are important.
The Bookstore buyback program routinely provides well over $1 million dollars to ASU students. This is a substantial sum of money distributed to students and this is dependent on getting the book orders in on time. Please continue to order in a timely manner so students can sell their books back to the Bookstore if the book is being used for the spring semester and to ensure the Bookstore has the books on the shelf before the semester begins.
The Bookstore, now under the management of Follett, has dramatically increased the number of titles available for rental (40% of titles were rentable this fall), another significant cost savings for students (savings that were approximately $1 million dollars this fall) as well as continuing to offer a low price guarantee, among other initiatives.
In our current economic times, support for students to reduce textbook costs is a meaningful activity all faculty can contribute to through attention to price, timely ordering and other activities.
