Exploring Faculty Perspectives on Text Selection and Textbook Affordability

Authors

Rachel E. Scott, Illinois State UniversityFollow
Mallory Jallas, Illinois State UniversityFollow
Julie A. Murphy, Illinois State UniversityFollow
Rachel Park, Illinois State UniversityFollow
Anne Shelley, Illinois State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

College & Research Libraries

Publication Date

2023

Keywords

textbook affordability, academic libraries, teaching faculty, focus groups, collection development, ebooks

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a pilot project conducted Spring 2021 in which Milner Library licensed 75 assigned texts to 52 courses at Illinois State University. The authors used the pilot as a springboard to explore faculty perspectives on textbook selection, textbook affordability, and the role of the academic library in addressing the rising cost of textbooks. The results highlight the strong, and often deeply personal, beliefs faculty hold about textbook selection and textbook affordability, reveal several obstacles to achieving affordable access to course readings, and demonstrate the willingness of some faculty to partner with librarians and other institutional stakeholders to explore more affordable access to assigned resources.

Comments

The version of record was published in College & Research Libraries 84, no. 2 (2023): 180-202. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.84.2.180.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.5860/crl.84.2.180

Recommended Citation

Scott, Rachel E.; Jallas, Mallory; Murphy, Julie A.; Park, Rachel; and Shelley, Anne, "Exploring Faculty Perspectives on Text Selection and Textbook Affordability" (2023). Faculty and Staff Publications – Milner Library. 146.
https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/fpml/146