Textbook transparency law takes effect in August
Published July 9, 2008
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Textbooks sit on shelves in University Bookstore in June. A textbook transparency law signed by Gov. Matt Blunt on June 25 will force textbook providers to disclose costs in advance and allow for student financial aid to be applied to textbook sales.
Due to a law Gov. Matt Blunt signed on June 25 to make textbook providers more transparent to consumers, significant changes can be expected for students and faculty members.
The law requires textbook manufactures to disclose prices as well as content similarities of books and will allow students to use financial aid toward purchasing books.
“Textbook costs can be outrageous,” said Craig Stevenson, former Associated Students of Missouri legislative director. “Professors will now hopefully be able to choose the older or less expensive editions if content is similar.”
Stevenson said ASUM student lobbyists Jonathan Pollmann and Andrew Harman helped to pass the legislation, which was sponsored by state Rep. Jake Zimmerman, D-Olivette.
“We first created a coalition of Republicans and Democrats,” Stevenson said. “We then wanted to talk to people who were skeptical about the bill and discuss with different publishing companies in order to create some sort of compromise that would bring down the prices of books without altering everything.”
“The professor will now be given content differences between books,” Stevenson said. “If there’s very little that’s changed, then hopefully older and more used books will be used as other avenues.”
Stevenson said he feels the biggest and most immediate impact of this bill is going to be buying more used or older books online. Some new editions are coming out with interactive CDs and cannot be purchased online at discount prices.
Frank Schmidt, chairman of the MU Faculty Council, said faculty do their best already to keep student costs down.
“The faculty are already aware of the costs of student’s school books and do their best to make them as inexpensive as possible,” Schmidt said. “We use works from the Internet in order to keep costs down as well. However, there are some cases in which it is not possible.”
Schmidt said he feels that inflation is partially a reason for the increase in the price of books, as well as new features offered, such as interactive CD’s, more information and new discoveries mentioned in the texts.
Schmidt said he sympathizes with students and the high prices they have to pay. He said he feels that education is the most important point, though.
“Cost is a secondary consideration to education,” he said.
The law will take effect Aug. 28.
