Keeping Up With… Affordable Instructional Materials
This edition of Keeping Up With… was written by Jaycee Chapman.
Jaycee Chapman is the Collection Development Librarian at University of Alabama at Birmingham, email: jkchapma@uab.edu.
Introduction
Textbook affordability remains a prominent issue in higher education as prices for required texts continue to soar and become barriers to access for students. It affects not only students’ financial wellness but their academic coursework, with students forced to consider opting for cheaper, older editions of textbooks and even withdrawing from courses altogether when the fees for their texts become too burdensome. [1] To alleviate these difficulties for students, it is crucial that academic libraries seek opportunities to mitigate costs and work with course instructors to explore alternatives to pricey textbooks. Librarians can have a significant impact on students’ academic careers by staying abreast of trends and resources in affordable learning and open access and implementing scalable solutions to improve the affordability of higher education.
New Issues in Textbook Affordability
Course instructors recognize the benefits and often high quality of open access materials now more than ever, and thus the use of these materials has grown significantly since the inception of open access and affordable materials. New issues in textbook affordability and equitable access have developed alongside these improvements, however. In 2016, nearly one-third of electronic textbooks required access codes, and this number has only grown since then. While the use of e-textbooks should decrease costs for students, publishers often price access codes the same as or more than traditional textbooks. [2] The codes usually have expiration dates and thus cannot be reused or shared by other students, thus inhibiting savings options for students who might prefer to opt for a used, rental, or library lending service, as well as posing additional issues for students with unreliable internet access.
The ambiguity of “First Day” programs, in which more than half of all degree-granting institutions in the United States have adopted some version of, similarly hinder students’ ability to make informed decisions about how they acquire their textbooks. These programs are intended to bring down the costs for all students and ensure all have their course materials by the first day of classes and thus improve equitable access, however most of these programs are “opt-in” by default, meaning that students are automatically enrolled and may not be aware of options to opt out or how to do so. In 2024, the Department of Education proposed requiring student authorization before billing for textbooks, making the program “opt-out” by default, but ultimately a consensus was not reached and no changes were made to the regulations. [3]
Libraries and Affordable Materials Initiatives
Academic libraries have been integral to improvements in textbook affordability through spearheading initiatives that increase instructors’ use of affordable materials and reduce the financial burden for students. Initiatives include raising awareness of reputable repositories of open materials as viable course texts, advocating for the use and expansion of course reserves at the academic library, and partnering with course instructors to assist with creating their own textbooks of open materials.
Open Repositories of Reputable Academic Materials
The number of free, online resources has grown exponentially as buy-in from instructors and publishers alike for open resources has increased. Academic libraries have been strong supporters of the open movement by integrating open materials into their catalogs and helping make instructors aware of the resources available. Popular and trustworthy repositories include:
Library Course Reserves Programs
Many academic libraries have adopted course reserves programs that make course texts available for short loans to students. Instructors can temporarily donate a personal copy of a textbook or request a copy be purchased by the library to be reserved for use by students in that course only. At George Mason University, a robust “TextSelect” program was implemented to meet demand for expensive course texts through a specific criterion to purchase most required textbooks for core classes and over $40 to purchase, as well as include any already owned by the library. [4] Some libraries have even involved the university bookstore in advertising for the program each semester by partnering with them to alert students to the availability of materials in the library when they attempt to purchase a textbook to ensure that students can make an informed decision about their purchase.
Examples of other academic libraries that provide ongoing textbook reserves and exhibit a landing page both to communicate how the program works and the impact they have on students include:
- Dominican University of California
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University of Central Florida
Support for Instructor Textbook Creation
Efforts have increased to assist instructors in creating their own free textbooks for students, generating the additional benefit of having a textbook that is specifically suited to the course. Librarians who assist in textbook creation often offer suggestions for resources, support the editing and formatting as well as archiving processes, and provide resources to the instructor for the assurance of copyright compliance. This assistance in conjunction with the enhanced awareness of student financial burden has increased instructor openness to creating textbooks that both tailor resources specifically to their course and improve equity, cultivating better engagement and performance. These efforts help shape a culture of care in the classroom by showing students that instructors and librarians are dedicated to their financial wellbeing and access to education. [5]
Conclusion
While textbook affordability issues continue to create barriers to higher education, libraries are well positioned to spearhead initiatives towards equity and access. Where possible, librarians should seek opportunities to communicate with instructors about affordability and advocate for open materials, as well as consider solutions such as a library reserves program. Implementing strategies that reduce costs for students helps ensure that they can sustain enrollment in higher education and gives them a sense of belonging when they witness librarians and instructors seeking ways to make their education less financially burdensome. It is imperative that libraries explore ways to provide equitable access, even as new issues develop and evolve. A textbook affordability initiative, however small, can have significant impacts for students and on higher education overall.
Notes
[1] Mowreader, Ashley. 2024. “Cost of Course Materials Impacts Student Success,” Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/health-wellness/2024/08/26/college-students-avoid-courses-high-textbook-costs. Accessed 9/23/2025.
[2] Ravipati, Sri. 2016. “Digital Textbook Codes as Costly as Traditional Course Materials,” Campus Technology. https://campustechnology.com/articles/2016/09/26/digital-textbook-codes-as-costly-as-traditional-course-materials.aspx#:~:text=Across%20institutions%20and%20majors%2C%20almost,for%20an%20unbundled%20textbook%3B%20and. Accessed 9/29/2025.
[3] “Department of Education Tackles Textbook Billing in Negotiated Rulemaking,” InclusiveAccess.org.https://www.inclusiveaccess.org/posts/department-of-education-tackles-textbook-billing-in-negotiated-rulemaking. Accessed 9/29/2025.
[4] 2025. “Text Select Textbook Reserves Program,” George Mason University Libraries. https://infoguides.gmu.edu/textselect. Accessed 9/23/2025.
[5] Levy, Dawn, and Tila, Dorina. 2022. “An Overlooking Benefit of OER: Showing Students We Care,” International Journal of Research in Education Humanities and Commerce 3. no. 3 (2022) 199-204. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED620160. Accessed 9/29/2025.
