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This blog is dedicated to the topics of Course materials, Innovation, and Technology in Education. it is intended as an information source for the college store industry, or anyone interested in how course materials are changing. Suggestions for discussion topics or news stories are welcome.

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Digital textbooks in the news

Recently there have been several articles regarding digital textbooks featured in the college newspapers. Here are the links to a few of the stories:

The articles provide some interesting information about the use of digital textbooks on the respective campuses. The Spartan Daily at San Jose State University reports that the appeal of e-textbooks is increasing and the digital offerings at their bookstore have more than doubled in the past year. At the University of Victoria, a survey was conducted to find out if students would buy e-textbooks when available. The results showed that 7% would always buy e-textbooks, 33% never would, and for the remaining 60% it would depend on the price. The Brown Daily Herald article explained that at Brown University most of the textbooks are from university presses and not yet available in digital format however, students do want the option to buy e-textbooks and could decide to go with the environmentally friendly digital version if given a choice.

In recent months, more and more campuses have begun expanding their offerings to include digital texts. While many students may still prefer the print version over the digital, we are beginning to see an increase in the appeal of e-books.