Spring Break
Textbooks go digital: Appeal of e-books increasing
Stephanie Vallejo
Issue date: 2/11/09 Section: News
Textbooks, with their weight and ability to empty wallets, may have another thing coming.
The number of e-books - downloadable versions of textbooks that are available online - that Spartan Bookstore offers has risen from 96 to 224 within the past year, said Christopher Stroth, a textbook specialist for Spartan Shops.
E-books are electronic versions of textbooks that give students a more interactive feel in comparison with regular hard copies, Stroth said.
"With e-books you can copy, paste, share notes, search text and interact with it on more levels than a regular textbook," he said.
Although not all hard copy textbooks at the bookstore have an electronic version, more publishing companies are looking into it, Stroth said
"There's a move to increase the number of e-books as they become available," he said.
One of the perks to having access to the electronic versions is that they are typically cheaper, Stroth said.
Some e-books have a limited lifespan. For an example, some only offer 180 days of access in one semester, and students can save money and not have to worry about selling it back.
"I would prefer e-books because it would be cheaper and I wouldn't have to carry around heavy textbooks all the time," said Lindsey Bahn, a freshman liberal studies major. "It's just easier online."
Students can't return an e-book and get their money back the way they could with a hard copy, Stroth said, but it works well for those who don't want piles of books at the end of each semester.
But there is a trade-off to the lower price.
Stroth said the publishers who have created e-books made agreements with other publishers to share private information such as phone numbers and e-mail, allowing them to send advertisements.
Students who skim through the privacy section when registering an e-book to their names should be aware of the box that allows publishers to share their information, Stroth said.
The number of e-books - downloadable versions of textbooks that are available online - that Spartan Bookstore offers has risen from 96 to 224 within the past year, said Christopher Stroth, a textbook specialist for Spartan Shops.
E-books are electronic versions of textbooks that give students a more interactive feel in comparison with regular hard copies, Stroth said.
"With e-books you can copy, paste, share notes, search text and interact with it on more levels than a regular textbook," he said.
Although not all hard copy textbooks at the bookstore have an electronic version, more publishing companies are looking into it, Stroth said
"There's a move to increase the number of e-books as they become available," he said.
One of the perks to having access to the electronic versions is that they are typically cheaper, Stroth said.
Some e-books have a limited lifespan. For an example, some only offer 180 days of access in one semester, and students can save money and not have to worry about selling it back.
"I would prefer e-books because it would be cheaper and I wouldn't have to carry around heavy textbooks all the time," said Lindsey Bahn, a freshman liberal studies major. "It's just easier online."
Students can't return an e-book and get their money back the way they could with a hard copy, Stroth said, but it works well for those who don't want piles of books at the end of each semester.
But there is a trade-off to the lower price.
Stroth said the publishers who have created e-books made agreements with other publishers to share private information such as phone numbers and e-mail, allowing them to send advertisements.
Students who skim through the privacy section when registering an e-book to their names should be aware of the box that allows publishers to share their information, Stroth said.
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