As students shell out hundreds of dollars for textbooks each semester, a few organizations have taken steps to reduce the high cost of books.
"There is a lot of individual experimentation going on among publishers," said Judith Platt of the Association of American Publishers. "There is a whole new way of approaching the problem of high prices in purchasing textbooks."
Platt cited online editions and the use of simplified, two-colored editions that make books more affordable. She also said a number of publishers plan to visit different college campuses, getting feedback from students and professors.
Meanwhile, many students have resorted to buying and selling in the used book market through outlets such as the Student Book Store.
According to Physics Prof. Louis Bloomfield, author of "How Things Work: the Physics of Everyday Life," the used book market may actually make textbooks more expensive in the long run.
"Buying used text books and purchasing books online from overseas are not the real solutions," he said. "Reselling books forces publishers to issue new editions."
Bloomfield acknowledged that the high price of books is a complicated problem, involving multiple parties.
"I think that professors have very little control over the price of books," he said. "They can not use certain books, make students share or accumulate used books. There are no real villains in this situation."
However, Bloomfield did raise some possible solutions for consideration.
"Maybe we should consider cutting all new book prices in return for getting rid of the used book market or making it possible for students to rent books at a lower price," he said.
Student Council has made some efforts in the past to make books more affordable but has no major initiatives currently in the making.
"My understanding is that there was a book exchange but that it was more of a burden than a real help," said Will Sowers, Student Council vice president for administration.
The Student Assembly at the College of William & Mary has instituted a more successful book exchange for students.
"Students bring in books to be catalogued, and they are resold," Student Assembly President Brian Cannon said.
According to Cannon, by undercutting the William & Mary Bookstore, the Student Assembly eliminates the middle man.
Instituting the book exchange "has not been easy, but we've saved the students approximately $20,000," Gannon said.
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