Flat World Knowledge, a company which provides alternatives to high cost textbooks stated in their press release they are providing textbooks to over 38,000 students on 350 college campuses this fall, up from 1,000 students at 30 campuses this time last year.
CALPIRG and students groups across the country are campaigning to make faculty aware of the need to reduce the costs of course materials.
The UC Libraries have licensed a substantial collection of e-textbooks, which are available for use by faculty and students free of charge. The full list, divided into broad subject areas, is available online, as are lists of e-book titles not classified as textbooks.
Each chapter is available as a PDF file, which can be downloaded, printed, or transferred to a PDA or Kindle. Whether in the textbook category or not, all of the titles can be used in electronic course reserves, on course Web sites, in course management systems, and for many other educational purposes.
Recent articles in The New York Times and the Chronicle of Higher Education draw attention to the gain in popularity and business of commercial Web sites offering textbook rental. A number of campuses in the University of Wisconsin system also offer textbook rental to their students.
Amazon unveiled the new Kindle DX May 6, designed with a larger screen for newspapers and textbooks. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that Case Western University is evaluating Kindles preloaded with course materials. The university cites the high cost of textbooks and the need to find alternatives for students.
Princeton, one of several other universities involved in pilot projects, is looking into the Kindle to save paper on campus. Currently, twelve textbook publishers offer more than 6,300 titles.
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