Issue date: 9/17/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Martin Wood [Click to enlarge]

While electronic textbooks are becoming more available and easier to use, a new poll shows that a large majority of college students still prefer the traditional hard copy textbooks.

A recent poll of 1,500 college students nationwide conducted by AbeBooks shows that 79 percent of students surveyed favor using traditional textbooks.

Richard Davies, spokesperson for Abebooks, said that traditional textbooks are not going anywhere for several reasons. First of all, he said, there is no need for any batteries or wall outlet. Also, students can write notes directly on the pages and highlight any text they feel like, Davies said.

However, one out of five students surveyed had used electronic books in the past, he said. Although it's not a huge number, it's significant enough to take note of, he said. The National Association of College Stores reports similar numbers to those in the AbeBooks poll.

According to Davies, though e-textbooks are becoming popular and more available, traditional textbooks, including both new and used, still command the textbook market.

Davies said today's students are early embracers of new technology, such as the internet and Apple's iPod and iPhone, so the switch to electronic textbooks is not that big of a change for them.

Whether or not students eventually make the switch to electronic books depends mainly on two things: selection and price, he said.

Currently not all textbooks are available electronically. Therefore, students do not even have the choice in some cases. However, many book companies are investing in the electronic book technology and are making more textbooks available. Furthermore, more and more companies are creating new digital book technology, such as Sony with its E-Reader and Amazon.com's Kindle.

Companies like McGraw-Hill, Wiley, Thompson-West and Pearson Education are highly invested in this new form of educational media and are counting on students embracing it, said William Chesser, vice president and general manager of Ingram Digital Education Solutions.

In a survey done by Ingram Digital, of 680 e-textbook users some common motives for the switch to electronic textbooks were revealed. According to the survey, 47 percent believe that the cost of the electronic book compared to the print book was their biggest motivation. However, 46 percent identified the convenience of e-textbooks to be their biggest motivation and 45 percent said that the interactive features were their motivation.

"Our survey shows that while the price of digital textbooks is important to consumers, so are other benefits of e-book technology," Chesser said.

College Board reports that undergrads at four-year public universities spent an average of nearly $1,000 on textbooks and supplies in the last academic year alone.

Amanda Denton, spokesperson for Ingram Digital, said most e-textbooks are available for about half the price of regular textbooks and are even cheaper than buying them used. Aside from that, students can download the e-textbooks onto their PC or Mac, allowing them to take it anywhere they want, she said.

Ingram Digital is the company that provides the VitalSource solutions program for academic publishers. VitalSource has a platform that students can visit online and browse through the many books that they have available for download. This technology allows students to download a book at the click of a button and then take it with them anywhere on a laptop or E-reader.

However, Denton made it clear that VitalSource are not trying to compete with paper books and the program is an option that allows students to save time and money.

At Sacramento State, students are contemplating the switch to the e-textbook.

"Textbooks are ridiculously expensive and also heavy on my back! E-textbooks are a step in the right direction, and we can save so many trees," said Mallory Savisaar-Cox, senior sociology major.

"Most textbooks get updated every year or two, with only small changes done to them and they still charge a lot," said Lupita Montejano, junior government and philosophy major.

There are alternatives to the update issues with an electronic version of a textbook, Chesser said. With the e-textbook, updates are not a problem and are available for free most of the time, he said. Publishers differ in their update policies, but usually publishers offer free updates, especially if there is a correction to the information in the current edition.

"Although e-textbooks are a good idea, it's still not the same as having a concrete book in front of you. Also, not everyone has a laptop to use and a lot of teachers don't allow laptops in the classroom so that could be a problem," said Mayra Ramirez, junior international relations major.

Although some have already started to make the switch, students still hold print textbooks in high regards. As new technology is developed and improved, only time will tell if students will ever fully make the switch to electronic textbooks.

Andres Cuevas can be reached at acuevas@statehornet.com

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