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Student Public Interest Research Groups are running a campaign against the college textbook industry in an effort to make prices more fair and affordable. The campaign calls out the publishers and accuses them of inflating prices beyond necessity.

According to a recent report from InsideHigherEd.com, textbook prices have risen faster than the rate of inflation according to previous studies. The main problem with this is the decreasing buy-back potential in the used book market due to updated editions of texts.

Textbooks are now updated nearly every two to three years, according to Jon Peters, operations manager at Gray’s Bookstore in Louisville. He said a common misconception with students is bookstores like Gray’s are selling these newer editions because they want to.

Michelle Funk, a senior English major at the University of Louisville, buys most of her books from Gray’s, but she does try to look online and in other bookstores to compare prices.

“If bookstores sell a textbook, they should buy it back,” Funk said. Though she realizes that Gray’s and other stores would not be able to sell these older editions to students at U of L, she thinks there is something that can be done with them.

“Maybe they can find another purpose or venue for selling the books,” she said.

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“Bookstores would have an easier time selling them to other companies than a student would,” Funk said.

The only problem with this is the publishers of the textbooks. Publishers dictate when new editions come out and announce it six months to one year in advance. Professors are then given the option of the newer edition, and Peters said they usually go with the newer edition.

“We are forced to go with the new edition,” Peters said. “We can’t buy [the old textbook] back because no one can use it.”

Tyler Coffey, a senior communication major, discovered this when a classmate told him he bought the same textbook for a class on Amazon.com for $4, when Coffey had paid $50. He believes the university should try to promote cheaper options and Web sites like Amazon.com.

Coffey also said that he rarely uses textbooks because professors do not teach what is in the textbook, making it unnecessary.

“If you come to class every day, you don’t need the book,” Coffey said.

Though not buying textbooks will save money, Funk said she uses her books for every class and would rather her teachers select books with more educational value, than going for the cheaper option.

“It’s worth the few extra dollars,” Funk said. She also noted that because she is an upper level English major, the textbooks for classes are more important.

The differences in Coffey’s use and Funk’s use of textbooks could vary according to personal choice, but their undergraduate paths could have an effect. Some professors handpick the material they want in their textbooks, customizing them to their specific classes.

A Public Interest Research Groups’ report stated, “While custom books are often less expensive to purchase, the texts are so particular to an instructor or a college that they have no value in the greater used book market.”

Though many factors contribute to the rising cost of textbooks, no one is debating the cost is too high. A PIRG report stated that students spend around $900 per year on textbooks alone. A Government Accountability Office study conducted in 2005, however, showed students spent around $650. Both groups stand by their research.