Can you help me write an Annotated Bibliography for Mass Communication Class?

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Overpriced textbooks are costing college students a fortune.

Mui, Ylan Q., and Kinzie, Susan “Break on Cost of Textbooks Unlikely Before Last

Bell, 2010” The Washington Post 20 Aug. 2008. 30 Nov. 2009.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/08/19/AR2008

081903230.html>

Mui and Kinzie point out that Congress has passed legislation that will force textbook

publishers to give out information about their prices and also require that they sell

textbooks separately from packaged ones that come with the CD’s and workbooks. The

unfortunate problem is that these new provisions won’t take effect until the year 2010. In

the year 2008 the sales of used textbooks grew 15 percent from the previous year, and

double-digit growth is expected through the year 2011. Publishers, meanwhile, are saying

that textbooks are not overpriced. They argue that the development of a new textbook is

costly and the return value is unknown, so they build the risk they take into their prices.

Publishers have acknowledged the cost and are doing what they can to reduce them.

Perkins, Miki. “Redundant textbooks force pupils to turn over new leaf” The Age

(Australia). 16 Jan. 2009: Pg.4. LexisNexis, Orange Coast College, Costa

Mesa, CA. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://www.lexisnexis.com>.

Perkins provides examples to support that claim that discontinued editions of textbooks

are making the cost of an education go up. Textbook publishers are releasing new

editions of textbooks at a high rate of speed causing the old editions to become out of

date. This forces students to pay for the newly released editions. For example, math

concepts have not changed for hundreds of years yet textbook companies find reasons to

constantly create new editions that include better graphics and some computer software

which will drive the cost of the book up. Many feel that these updates are unnecessary.

Rucker, Philip “Lawmakers Study Ways to Cut Cost of Textbooks” The

Washington Post 30 Jan. 2008. 1 Dec. 2009.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2008/01/29/AR2008

012903043.html?sid=ST2008013000362>

Maryland lawmakers support the idea of passing legislation that would create more

affordable textbooks to students, writes Rucker. The agreements made between

bookstores and universities are being scrutinized because they are the ones profiting off

of the book sales. Barnes and Noble, who operate the official campus bookstore for the

University of Maryland, are authorized to sell the books up to 25% above the wholesale

price. This is unfair for the students who are required to buy the books. The prices for

textbooks have become a burden for students, and lawmakers are looking to take away

that burden by figuring out how to reduce costs.

2

Samuels, Tanyanika. “Student’s weighed down by textbook costs” Daily News. 15

April 2008: Pg.1. LexisNexis. Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA. 30

Nov. 2009. <http://www.lexisnexis.com>.

Samuels writes for this New York-based newspaper about a study that showed students

are spending an average of $1,000 per year just on college textbooks alone. The article

quotes a spokesperson from the New York Public Interest Research Group who states the

cost of textbooks is being overlooked because all textbooks generally cost a lot of money;

however, she points out that they should not cost nearly as much as they do. The study

also found that 57% of faculty believe that the textbooks available are published too often

when there are few variations made. Federal and state lawmakers have noticed this

problem and are considering creating bills that would focus on the issue.

Unknown. “That Book Costs How Much?” The New York Times. 25 April 2008:

Pg.26. LexisNexis, Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA. 30 Nov. 2009.

<http://www.lexisnexis.com>.

This editorial claims that the price of textbooks has gone up due to “marginally” useful

CD-ROM features and other unneeded supplements. There is a pending bill in Congress

that would force the publishers of textbooks to sell versions that come without all of the

“bells and whistles” and require them to list the book prices in their marketing material so

professors would have the opportunity to choose the less pricey options, if they were so

inclined. The editorial points out that there are other options available, such as digital

versions of some textbooks that can often be found online for free. Digital forms are also

easy to customize and update if need be.

Unknown "The rising cost of college textbooks: [HOME EDITION]. " Los Angeles

Times 12 Nov. 2006: pg. M.5.

This editorial brings light to the fact that the rising costs for a higher education are

making students seek alternative ways to reduce the price. The cost of textbooks is

impacting California’s community colleges in particular. Fifty percent of students at the

community colleges are low-income based and in programs that waive the tuition fees,

but leave them responsible for paying for their textbooks. Students have been left to find

alternative ways to get around these pricey situations. Some have gone to their college’s

library for photo copies, others have found ways to get pirated e-copies off of the

Internet, and many are finding cheaper versions by buying used copies. The Association

of American Publishers claims that book costs are not too high and that the College

Board over-estimates how much students are spending. The association also pointed out

that the publishers revisions that include the CD’s and workbooks are to take advantage

of the new educational technologies available, not to boost their profits.