Resolution on Requiring Textbooks to Be Placed on Reserve

BACKGROUND

Khushboo Shah, 2007 Class Representative of the Rutgers College Governing Association, made a request to Michael Beals that all required textbooks for courses be placed on reserve in the libraries in order to help students save on costs of textbooks. Michael forwarded the request to Paul Leath, who in turn asked the Library Committee (LC) to review it, with the following charge:

CHARGE: Consider the advisability of requiring that all required textbooks for courses be placed on reserve in the libraries in order to help students save on costs of textbooks.

The LC has conducted an email and an in-person discussion of the proposal. Below are some of the ideas that emerged:

1) In favor: On its face, the idea is attractive since it would save financially strapped students a significant cost.

2) Against, prohibitive cost: On the other hand, the Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) has a policy against routinely purchasing textbooks, and the RUL is strapped for the considerable funds that routine acquisition of textbooks would entail, together with the additional resources of managing a substantial increase in the reserve materials.

3) Challenges if the policy were adopted: If there were to be a policy that all required textbooks for courses be placed on reserve in libraries, there are challenges in actually providing fair access to all students in each class. For example,

A) If access were to be fair for students, who live in different areas but who all take the same class, how many copies should there be in how many different libraries?

B) To make sure that no one student monopolized a book on reserve, there would have to be enforcement of a policy (e.g., 2-4 hrs at a time) to access to the book, which could not be removed from the library. Note: There already exists a time limit policy for the use of "hard copy" reserve items. Their use is limited to two hours per checkout, with repeated checkouts possible. If only one hard copy of an item is on reserve, there could well be a run on the item just before the readings are to be discussed in class, or appear on a quiz, etc., with several students vying for the same copy.

C) One way to address these access problems is to put e-versions of textbooks on electronic reserve. The question still remains, who is to pay for the acquisition of such e-versions if in fact they are available.

4) The need in some courses for every student to have their own personal copy. One respondent wrote: "I don't see a problem with suggesting textbooks be put on reserve. A firm requirement is more problematic in my opinion, given the different kinds of reliance on textbooks in different departments and disciplines. For example, I can't imagine a foreign language student taking a class without their own copy of the textbook."

5) Activities faculty can be encouraged to do on a voluntary basis to meet the need:

A) Place copies (sometimes multiple copies) of complimentary textbooks that they receive on reserve.

B) Take advantage of putting electronic articles on reserve when these can replace textbooks.

C) If only sections of textbooks are used – e.g., only mathematics exercises, these sections could be duplicated and placed on electronic reserve.

D) Reducing the use of expensive textbooks for less expensive ones.

6) Longer-range solutions: A number of individuals suggested that a great deal of student money could be saved by finding an alternative to having the buying and selling of used textbooks take place via a university bookstore run by a for-profit company, as we presently have at Rutgers. In the e-version of this resolution, there is an Appendix with two articles documenting schools that have piloted alternative models.

RESOLUTION

In light of the above considerations, while the NBFC cannot at this point recommend a requirement that all course textbooks be put on library reserve, we do strongly recommend:

1) That individual faculty and departments be encouraged to initiate actions that will reduce where possible student textbook expenses, e.g.,

A) Reducing the use of expensive textbooks for less expensive ones.

B) Using electronic reserve articles and other online media instead of full textbooks where pedagogically feasible.

C) Having the instructors checking if the Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) does already own a copy of a textbook to be used in a course, in which case instructors can place the book on RUL reserve.

D) Exploring, independent of the usual acquisition process of RUL, a process for obtaining copies of textbooks and distributing them to locations where they may be consulted by students. (Note that this leaves open all questions of funding and whether the locations be tied to libraries or distributed through residence halls.)

E) Placing their complimentary copies of textbooks on RUL reserve. (However, note that this use of desk copies, while done with the best of intent, may violate the publisher's reason for providing them. Some suggest that perhaps instead it would be better if faculty and departments solicited the cooperation of the publishers, e.g., developing a mechanism that would allow them to claim contributions to assure availability to all students. This could help their image and provide us with textbook copies. In particular, there may be many slightly damaged copies of popular books that can't be sold, but are perfectly usable for this purpose.)

F) Exploring the possibility of centralized purchases of e-versions of textbooks and making them available to all students through the electronic reserve process.

2) In line with Resolution #1, that the NBFC endorses the desirability of setting up an accessible database of specific faculty case examples of actions that reduce the cost of textbooks. (Examples might be allowing students to purchase any of the last three editions of a textbook; using an e-textbook on reserve for the whole class; and choosing for a class from among a number of pedagogically comparable textbooks the one that is least expensive.) The database should allow faculty to easily enter the case study examples and for students and faculty to gain easy access to these.

3) That the NBFC commits itself to continuing to work on the long-range goal of reducing the present, excessive cost to students of course textbooks. (One example would be to explore alternatives to having the buying and selling of used textbooks take place via a university bookstore run by a for-profit company, as we presently have at Rutgers.)