Spring Break
Electronic books not a good fit
Jessica Leggin / Campus Editor
Issue date: 2/27/09 Section: News
Electronic textbooks are not a new concept.
Companies have been offering them to college students as a way to reduce costs.
Adding e-textbooks to the Textbook Rental Service does not appear to offer any current benefits.
Carol Miller, deputy director of Textbook Rental Service, said Eastern has known about electronic textbooks for a while and it is not something new.
"Probably for the last 10 years there has been information out there about electronic textbooks and about their pros and cons," she said.
The information she has received about electronic textbooks support the idea that these types of formats are not a good fit for Eastern students.
"Here at Eastern Illinois University, we all put our students first and that is including textbook rental," Miller said. "We have a commitment here to do the best job for our students."
In order to provide students with a great service, the pros and cons have to be laid out and that there is great concern when distributing electronic textbooks to students.
"With e-textbooks, you are not able to read material when you want to," she said.
In order for a student to receive their information, the textbook has to be downloaded on to a computer with a specific card.
"You can only download the information to one computer," she said. "You also probably have to have a lot of system requirements on your computer. One can't think they can just buy the e-textbook and put it on any computer."
Miller's other concern is the electronic textbooks' expiration date.
"There is an expiration date linked to the material," she said. "You may purchase a card and only have 6 months or 12 months of access. Seventy-five percent usually encompasses the 6 month period."
Miller said with limited access, students are not investing in a tangible item.
"I believe these textbooks are geared towards less cost," she said.
Even though some electronic version can be less than a paperback textbook, printing cost is still to be considered.
"If you wanted to print the e-textbook textbook, printing it can cost more if one was to just buy the actual textbook," Miller said.
Students pay $9.95 per credit hour for textbooks at Eastern.
A dollar from the fee is designated to construction of the new Textbook Rental Facility.
Miller said this is a minimal fee to provide all textbooks for a low price.
"We have a commitment to students to keep the cost down," she said. "We know the challenges students face with tuition and fees and we know it is becoming difficult."
Miller said textbook rental has great opportunities when it comes to options or students to take advantage of.
"It's like the best of both worlds," she said. "You can rent your books and maybe if you are interested in one or two you can make the decision if you want to purchase them for your own personal library, and I think this is what sets us apart from other universities."
Despite some of the fallbacks with electronic textbooks, Textbook Rental Service will always be open to technology.
"We are open to new technology and we will continue to look at ways to make things easier for students," she said. "We never close the doors to new technology, but we want to make sure when we do make decisions, we want to make the best for the students."
Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.
Companies have been offering them to college students as a way to reduce costs.
Adding e-textbooks to the Textbook Rental Service does not appear to offer any current benefits.
Carol Miller, deputy director of Textbook Rental Service, said Eastern has known about electronic textbooks for a while and it is not something new.
"Probably for the last 10 years there has been information out there about electronic textbooks and about their pros and cons," she said.
The information she has received about electronic textbooks support the idea that these types of formats are not a good fit for Eastern students.
"Here at Eastern Illinois University, we all put our students first and that is including textbook rental," Miller said. "We have a commitment here to do the best job for our students."
In order to provide students with a great service, the pros and cons have to be laid out and that there is great concern when distributing electronic textbooks to students.
"With e-textbooks, you are not able to read material when you want to," she said.
In order for a student to receive their information, the textbook has to be downloaded on to a computer with a specific card.
"You can only download the information to one computer," she said. "You also probably have to have a lot of system requirements on your computer. One can't think they can just buy the e-textbook and put it on any computer."
Miller's other concern is the electronic textbooks' expiration date.
"There is an expiration date linked to the material," she said. "You may purchase a card and only have 6 months or 12 months of access. Seventy-five percent usually encompasses the 6 month period."
Miller said with limited access, students are not investing in a tangible item.
"I believe these textbooks are geared towards less cost," she said.
Even though some electronic version can be less than a paperback textbook, printing cost is still to be considered.
"If you wanted to print the e-textbook textbook, printing it can cost more if one was to just buy the actual textbook," Miller said.
Students pay $9.95 per credit hour for textbooks at Eastern.
A dollar from the fee is designated to construction of the new Textbook Rental Facility.
Miller said this is a minimal fee to provide all textbooks for a low price.
"We have a commitment to students to keep the cost down," she said. "We know the challenges students face with tuition and fees and we know it is becoming difficult."
Miller said textbook rental has great opportunities when it comes to options or students to take advantage of.
"It's like the best of both worlds," she said. "You can rent your books and maybe if you are interested in one or two you can make the decision if you want to purchase them for your own personal library, and I think this is what sets us apart from other universities."
Despite some of the fallbacks with electronic textbooks, Textbook Rental Service will always be open to technology.
"We are open to new technology and we will continue to look at ways to make things easier for students," she said. "We never close the doors to new technology, but we want to make sure when we do make decisions, we want to make the best for the students."
Jessica Leggin can be reached at 581-7942 or at jmleggin@eiu.edu.
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