Hi Leo- I've encountered the same thing at our college. As a result I reviewed the costs to students and decided to switch texts for my research methods class. I now tell the book reps that I will only consider their product if they can package it with the student version of SPSS and set the cost at under $100. Most are will to do this.
-Don. Don Allen Dept. of Psychology Langara College 100 W. 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5Y 2Z6 Phone: 604-323-5871 ----- Original Message ----- From: Leo Standing <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, March 15, 2007 8:13 am Subject: [tips] Textbook cost issue To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > Dear Tipsters: > > This morning after my Cognitive Psychology course I noticed that > someonehad accidentally left behind a 'book'. This turned out to > be a photocopy > of the course text, professionally spiral-bound in plain card > covers (no > identifying marks, naturally), which covered every chapter in the > syllabus, thus about 500 pages. > > With 2 pages per sheet, and assuming 5 cents per page in bulk, this > would cost only about $15 to produce, instead of the $130 that our > bookstore charges. (And this for the 2005 6th edition of Matlin, one > that will be superceded in a few months and thus drop to minimal > resalevalue). > > The labour of making the first photocopy obviously is > considerable, but > after that there is little problem. I wondered whether unscrupulous > individuals (perhaps off-campus) may soon be tempted to run off > multipleillicit copies and sell them to students? For a class of > 100, with > copies sold at $25 each, that could be an easy profit of $1000. I > doubtthat this is happening as yet, but it may be starting, and the > temptation is certainly there. > > One more argument for short, cheap textbooks of the no-frills variety? > (Very rare, unfortunately). > > Leo > > > Leo Standing, PhD Tel: 819-822-9600, > ex.2456 > Psychology Dept, fax: 819-822-9661 > Bishop's University, home: 819-346-1897 > 2600 College St, > Sherbrooke QC, Office hours: MW 3-4 > J1M 0C8 TTh 2:30- > 4:30 > Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 09:44:13 -0400 > From: Kathy Doherty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: Textbook cost issue > > This is a multi-part message in MIME format... > > --=__Part1B3FA43D.0__= > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Content-Disposition: inline > > I've been following the discussion with some interest. Certainly, > I am > concerned about the high cost of textbooks and the various strategies > employed by publishers to require students to publish new books. > However, I'm not sure that I am quite so sympathetic to the argument > that it's all because of the used book market. Many other products in > our culture operate the same way. The person who purchases the new > product (cars, appliances, clothing) pays full price to the > manufacturer. Some individuals keep the product for its (or their) > lifetime. Others use the product for a while and then resell it to > someone else. The manufacturer does not make any money on these > secondary transactions. Sometimes products are even sold to a > third and > even a fourth party. We don't hear other product manufacturers crying > because Ebay or the Classified section of the newspaper is stealing > their business? > > Just another point to ponder.. > > Kathy > > > > > > Kathleen T. Doherty, Ph. D. > Coordinator and Professor of Psychology > Harrisburg Area Community College > One HACC Drive, W-232 > Harrisburg, PA 17110 > (717) 780-2496 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > --- > To make changes to your subscription go to: > http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi- > bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english > --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
