Research Log 1
- Discuss how the author, the publisher, the faculty member, the library, and the students can be accommodated.
The author and/or publisher should raise the price of their textbooks and course readers so they can make a better profit.
The faculty members should be able to find the books for their students and themselves at a reasonable price.
The students should be able to access the books on-line and at the bookstore for a cheaper price.
- How can a fair arrangement be achieved?
Have the author and publisher actually start the book and course reader on-line so that they don’t have to worry about making or losing money. The teachers can use their projectors to show what they need from the books in class and the students can print pages from their course readers at home to bring to class. The library can also be used for printing pages from books or course readers when needed.
3. What are the challenges in creating a fair arrangement for everyone?
Books will not be needed anymore which makes us rely more on the internet. When the computers and internet are broken down there is not as much class work. We will rely too much on technology.
Interestingly, most of your classmates have suggested lowering the prices! Here, you are suggesting raising them. I don't know if either approach will actually work, but the question then becomes this: if the prices are raised, how will faculty members find books for themselves and students are a "reasonable" price?
ReplyDeleteOnline or e-books will not solve the issue of worry about making or losing money. There are still costs--different costs from printing costs, but costs nonetheless. Providing a platform for the e-book is just one example. Libraries, faculty, students, etc., must pay for that platform. There are also worries about whether buyers will pass the book or parts of the book on to others, who will then not pay. Further, it's not legal for teachers to show what they need from the books in class or for students to print them. They make take "small" amounts, but that's all.
Whether books will disappear altogether is an interesting issue. Every year, more books are published, not fewer, so that's not the trend at the moment, although I think that e-formats will eventually cause book publishing to diminish. I don't think it will completely disappear, but perhaps I'm wrong about that.