Textbook requisition deadline passes

Textbook buyback value decreases when professors place orders late.

By Travis Cornejo

Published Nov. 6, 2009

The deadline for faculty to turn in textbook requisitions was last Friday. Student Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese said 64 percent of orders have been turned in as of Thursday and more are expected to trickle in.

Froese said the University Bookstore's goal this year was to have 50 percent of orders turned in by last Friday.

"One hundred percent is unrealistic, but we'd like to get as close as we can," Froese said. "It would be nice to have 80 percent."

When professors adopt a textbook before the deadline, the bookstore can better plan for which books it needs to order, resulting in more used copies of books.

"If they turn them in on time, the students are able to sell them back and they get more money," student supervisor Anne-Marie Eckert said.

Froese said that is because when faculty members turn orders in on time, it gives the bookstore more time to research and locate used books. When textbook orders are turned in late, the bookstore would probably have to order new books.

"The longer they have to search for used books, the better it is for students," she said.

Froese said a possible reason for late textbook requests is some classes do not yet have instructors.

Eckert said students selling books back could get up to 50 percent of the new price when faculty members turn in their textbook requests on time. When requests are turned in late, students can get up to 30 percent of the new price back.

"When we don't know we'll need it, students will get less than wholesale prices (when they sell it back)," Froese said. "When we know a textbook is going to be used, the university can buy it back."

Eckert said the bookstore works with MBS Textbook Exchange Inc., a company in Columbia, on textbook buyback.

According to its Web site, MBS services more than 4,000 institutions nationwide and annually processes more than 12 million textbooks.

Sophomore Miranda Chapin said she buys her textbooks online. She only buys textbooks at the University Bookstore when she cannot find them elsewhere for cheaper. Chapin said she used to sell her books back to the bookstore but does not anymore.

"I got a very small fraction back," Chapin said. "Now I sell them back on Amazon.com."

Froese said getting faculty aware of the need to meet suggested deadline has been a slow process. State and national legislation regarding textbook transparency have helped faculty become more aware of the topic.

Froese said the bookstore has worked for many years with the Missouri Students Association Academic Affairs Committee. The committee has sent an e-mail to faculty, encouraging them to turn their orders in before the deadline.

Chancellor Brady Deaton has also sent faculty an e-mail for the past three semesters reminding them to turn in orders on time.

Froese said some students are also e-mailing their professors to kindly remind them about the deadline.