It’s been 8 years since we launched a campaign to make textbooks more affordable. I’m impressed by the progress we’ve made, but there’s still much work to be done.
It’s buying season though, so before I give the rundown on the campaign, check out the NYT’s Guide to Finding Cheap Textbooks.
If you are interested in getting involved with our campaign, you can sign up for more information here.
Back in 2003 students across the country were noticing that textbook prices were rising at alarming rate and our student boards decided to launch an investigation into the cause of high textbook prices.
I have to admit, at first we were a little alarmed by the results. Textbook prices were rising at 4 times the rate of inflation, and publishers were artificially inflating their prices. Our staff and students released a series of reports which got a lot of media attention – and faculty and congress responded. Since 2004, several states have taken legislative action, and last summer the national textbook price disclosure law went into effect.
Now, we’ve teamed up with other student, faculty, college and affordable textbook groups to launch a coalition called the Textbook Rebellion, which will present a united front against textbook rip-offs. Help us out by signing the Textbook Rebellion Petition.
Good luck!