A list of all required textbooks is available to students on the University Bookstore Web site and is being updated daily in accordance with the new Textbook Market Fairness Act.
The act, passed by the Virginia state legislature earlier this year, requires that all public colleges and universities in Virginia make available the list of textbooks required as soon as the professor notifies the university's bookstore.
In the case of the University, the online list is updated within 24 hours of when professors submit their lists to the bookstore. In previous years, the list of textbooks required by professors was posted on ISIS one week before classes began.
The act was pushed by Virginia21, a self-described "action-tank" that advocates on the behalf of young people in Virginia.
"The act helps to level the playing field for students by eliminating the artificial monopoly created by University bookstores," Virginia21 Communications Director David Solimini said.
With the list of required textbooks being made available to students sooner, students have more time to shop for books online and compare prices to that of their school's bookstores, Solimini said.
The act originated when the Student Steering Committee of Virginia21 presented textbook prices as a major concern to students. The Student Steering Committee sets the legislative agenda for Virginia21 and consists of the student-body presidents of all of the public colleges and universities in Virginia.
"Students don't feel like they have much control over what they spend on textbooks," said Noah Sullivan, the University's former student body president, who participated in the legislative agenda responsible for pushing forward the act. "It's one of those hidden costs to students ... that cannot be avoided."
Sullivan said the University of Virginia bookstore did the best it could to keep textbooks affordable, but that the problem is a national one that stems from the policies of wholesale publishers.
"We thought something could be done at the legislative level," he said.
University Bookstore Executive Director Jon Kates said even though the early notice on required textbooks gives students more time to shop around, the bookstore offers a convenience that Web sites cannot because students can return books easily should they decide to change courses.
In addition, the bookstore keeps books more readily in stock, and students are offered a variety of payment options, Kates said.
"The act can be very beneficial to students so long as they understand the pitfalls" of ordering books online, Kates said.
Kates also expressed a concern that the Web sites might benefit from the labor the University applies to keep a list of required textbooks continuously updated.
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