Textbook law considers student budgets

As part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, new textbook laws have been established to ensure that students receive an appropriate amount of information before choosing classes. The law’s effects will begin July 1.

The act will accomplish several things. Publishing companies will provide complete information regarding textbook costs, previous editions, substantial content revisions and alternative formats to faculty upon request. Books sold in “bundles,” (one or more college textbooks or other supplemental materials that may be packaged together) will be available separately, with each separately priced.

Finally, the ISBN and retail price information of required and recommended college textbooks for each course will be listed on Luther’s course schedule. Students will have access to this information before registration and pre-registration.

Additional information such as available programs for renting textbooks, guaranteed textbook buy-back and other cost-saving strategies will also be provided.

Director of the Book Shop and Union Services Jim Haemker is preparing the Book Shop for the changes.

“There will be a link on the Registrar’s web page to the Luther Book Shop’s web page,” Haemker said. “On the store’s web page will be the textbook information we have received from the faculty. It will be important to note that this information is subject to change”

Previously, information about required textbooks and supplemental materials has been provided in the class syllabus rather than the course schedule. Because Luther’s pre-registration date for the fall semester occurs in April, textbook information must be gathered in January and February in order to meet printing schedules. In past years, this information was incomplete or unavailable.

Students will now be able to calculate the costs of classes in advance and budget accordingly.

As far as changes in the Book Shop, faculty choices in textbooks remain to be seen.

“We do not know what the overall effect will be to the Book Shop,” Haemker said. “The information will be posted sooner than ever before.”