Advocacy Articles
The "Help Kit" its working!
By Mark Palmore, Institutional Store Advocate and Executive Director
Based on comments from our member stores the Connect2One “Help Kit’ is making a positive impact. As textbook bundling and customization gains traction, so too does the effort against this merchandising practice that raises the cost of textbooks for students. Bookstore managers around the country have been pushing back on these publisher practices at the institutional level by educating faculty and administrators on the issues.
Recently, we offered a free bundling/customization “Help Kit” to our members. The kit contained separate sample letters that can be used to educate faculty senate, chancellors and individual professors, as well as an exclusive white paper entitled Bundling and Customization: Is There Value? As of August 10, 2004, more than 125 bookstores had ordered the free “Help Kit”, and it’s already having an impact. (If you haven’t yet ordered your kit, e-mail me at mpalmore@connect2one.com)
The following are excerpts from actual letters sent by bookstore managers using the aforementioned templates and the responses received from faculty members:
Dear Professor ________
I would like to clarify something regarding the textbooks for the coming fall semester. The information I have received reads as follows: (Author, Title, shrink wrapped with website code, CD). My question is about the shrink wrapped items. As you know, publishers "bundle" things with the main textbook that are sometimes required by the instructor and sometimes not. Very often, instructors are informed that the items "bundled" with the textbook cost nothing. However, if you REQUIRE that these books be bought with the shrink wrapped items then we cannot sell used books to the students since used books will not have the bundle add-ons.
This also means we may not buy them back from students who have them from this Spring term. On the other hand, if the shrink-wrapped item “add-ons” are not required, we will try to find some used copies for your students and buy as many back as possible.
I am not trying to influence your textbook decisions, and if the bundled items are indeed required, I will gladly order the package for your students. I just want to bring this to your attention and make sure all the other "stuff" is necessary.
Bookstore Manager
___________Bookstore
The following is the response to the above letter from the professor in question:
Hello
By all means take the route that allows students to purchase used textbooks. Thanks for the heads up.
Professor________
Here’s another one:
Dear Professor________,
I order the textbooks for ________Bookstore and am trying to determine how many books to carry. You have ordered the old edition of (Author and Title) as required and the new bundled edition as recommended. What will you communicate to your students regarding these two editions?
I would also like to know if the whole package is necessary or if the students can meet the course requirements if they buy a "used" text without all the added elements (CD, Study Guide, etc.).
Not trying to pry where I shouldn't, just trying to make sure I have the right stuff on the shelf and advise students correctly.
General Manager
__________ Bookstore
And the response:
Dear _______,
1) I do NOT care about ANY of the supplemental elements (CD, Study Guide). They are irrelevant. I am happy to have students buy either used or new texts that do not have them.
2) My syllabus, or rather the page numbers in it for the readings, will be tied to the new edition of (Author and Title). So that should be the "required" edition.
However, the differences between the old and new edition are not very significant, so I do not mind if the students use the older edition, especially since there will not be many (any?) used copies of the new edition available yet. I didn't want the students to feel REQUIRED to buy the more expensive new edition, with all those unnecessary "extras" bundled with it, when the old edition, which they can buy used, will work fine.
I hope that makes a bit more sense and offers a bit more guidance as far as ordering. The above is basically what I tell the students. If I can be of any more help, please let me know.
Best,
Professor ___________
As you can see, by addressing this problem directly, you may be able to persuade educators to choose non-bundled/customized texts when designing a syllabus. We have received many such letters from bookstore managers who have been successful in informing faculty as to the drawbacks of bundling and/or customization. In fact, once the facts are brought to light, it’s rare for an instructor to order a bundled text for his or her class.
Interestingly, at least one of the major college bookstore leasing companies has also taken up the issue and is aggressively debating the value of the practice. As you would expect, we at Connect2One will be following the story as it progresses and will keep you informed as to the latest developments. In the meantime, as always, the sooner you get involved, the sooner you can make a difference. So order your kit today. And if you’ve received it but haven’t yet put it to use, start writing those letters and e-mails—you may be surprised at just how effective they can be.
For additional information on this or any other related topic, contact me at mpalmore@connect2one.com.
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