Are textbooks going the way of the card catalog?
ALINE SOULES (Photo: Lois Tema)
- February 24, 2010
With the cost of higher education soaring more than 30 percent in the past 10 years, lawmakers and academicians are looking to replace pricey textbooks with affordable learning solutions such as some e-books and greater use of library resources. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, for example, estimates the state could save up to $350 million annually by making the switch.
Not so fast, said 91短视频 Librarian Aline Soules. There are issues to resolve before considering e-books as a fiscal solution for a large urban serving university.
“Making a paradigm shift of this magnitude is more complex than we realize,” Soules said.
In a research by Soules, “E-books and user assumptions,” published in November’s Serials: The Journal for the Serials Community, she points out that while e-content sellers, such as Springer, have conducted studies of users’ e-book habits, most were conducted at research universities specializing in engineering.
“This research is not applicable to general universities, such as 91短视频, “Soules said.
Despite 91短视频’s proximity to software giants and pioneering bioscience research firms and students’ familiarity with all things “e” –– including texting, e-mail, RSS feeds and Facebook –– a growing "digital divide," or gap in access to technology across the socioeconomic spectrum, threatens greater use of e-books, Soules said. In one online class she taught recently, she found that nearly half of the 30 students enrolled relied on dial up service and most did not have Microsoft Office software installed on their computers.
About 62 percent of American homes have a Web-connected computer, and users tend to be 22-44 years old, more affluent and educated, according to 2007 U.S. Census data. Computer ownership and Web use are lowest in senior households, among African Americans and Hispanics and among households of people with less than a high school education. 91短视频’s student population is composed of 25 percent Asian and Pacific Islander, 14 percent Hispanic and 12 percent African American.
“I like the idea of saving money on textbooks,” said Ashley Lupeheke, a 91短视频 freshman majoring in criminal justice, “but I have concerns regarding how it will require me to change my study habits.”
Lupeheke said she’d rather not lug around electronic equipment when she has the freedom to tote a textbook anywhere and quickly highlight her reading. “I’m also concerned that I’ll get distracted online when I should be reading the material,” she said.
Students from middle-upper to upper income families with good grades tend to consider e-books more useful, according to a study by Primary Research Group, who publishes research reports, surveys and benchmarking studies for businesses, colleges, and libraries. The study also noted that “no student with a full time job found [e-books] useful, very useful or even somewhat useful.” Lupeheke takes a full load of classes three days a week and works part-time at a federal work study job twice a week.
Issuing e-book hardware, known as a “reader,” to students can assist in bridging the existing digital divide, but it presents other challenges, Soules said. For instance, who will handle technical problems related to the equipment? Soules noted that librarians increasingly take on a technology support role when e-books or online databases fail to perform.
Additionally, she cites the recent dispute between Macmillan publishing and Google over the removal of Orwell’s 1984 from customers’ Kindle devices, pointing out that publishers and equipment manufacturers have not yet fully worked out licensing arrangements in the new electronic world.
One advantage to reading hard copies of textbooks, Soules said, is that it remains in your possession and students can borrow copies through inter-library loan programs, as needed.
Finally, Soules questioned whether e-books ultimately save as much money as pundits predicted. Beyond the cost of the reader and new version upgrades, schools must also consider the cost of multiple user copies and changing licensing rules about what users can cut, paste, print and download, she said. Most publishers limit printing to a few pages. The New York Times’s technology reporter covering Amazon and Apple said the recent conflict between Macmillan and Google will result in higher e-book prices for consumers.
Despite the challenges, Soules said she “loves technology” and prides herself on being an early adopter, bringing in new solutions and technologies to the University Library. “E-books can be an extremely valuable tool, but we must be clear about all the issues and concerns before making sweeping changes. We need to start taking steps now, if this is our future vision.”