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By David Rothman

Boston Globe, via Andy Oram. As reported by the Globe, the bill among other things would “give students the option to buy textbooks and accompanying materials separately, rather than requiring students to buy the items as a package.” Recommended–from Andy on a different topic: His blog item on The connection between NSA wiretapping and telephone industry concentration.

Back to the textbook-cost bill: I’m still thinking this one over. As I see it, cost are too high. But here are Andy’s unofficial thoughts from the perspective of an editor at O’Reilly:

I doubt that this micromanagement of academia will improve things. Publishers have to justify the web sites, study quesitons, etc. by assuming that the costs will be spread among all buyers. The additional materials probably can’t sustain a business model on their own. Splitting them off also means professors can’t use them because some students won’t have access to them. And what happens if a two-tier student body emerges, some students with the additional materials and some without?

On the other hand, online delivery and customized books, could lower costs

As an example of cost-lowering, Andy mentions the SafariU service offering customized publishing for college faculty members–so that they can choose exactly what their students need to read; no more. O’Reilly is a partner in the service, and I love the idea.

 
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