Over the past decade, prices of textbooks have been steadily increasing. Particularly, there has been a markup on textbooks at the Wright State bookstore in the past few years.
According to Jennifer Gebhart, manager of the Wright State Bookstore, the prices of each textbook are set by the publisher and can vary depending on the content of individual books. Furthermore, the bookstore must account for the costs of transportation, labor and maintaining both the physical store itself as well as the online bookstore.
The Wright State bookstore, which is operated by Barnes & Noble College, has taken measures to provide students with more affordable options than other retailers; this includes other stores which are operated by Barnes & Noble. The store’s rental, Buy Back, and Price Match programs have all provided students with access to textbooks at a lower cost.
Barnes and Noble also offers Open Educational Resources (OER) courseware, which provides students immediate access to class materials including e-text, class activities, and assessments. “Offering students affordable textbook options is a top priority for the WSU Bookstore,” said Gebhart.
Additionally, the WSU bookstore directs a portion of their revenue to scholarships and other programs intended to make college more affordable for students.
As it currently stands, the prices of textbooks are expected to rise in the next few years. The bookstore will continue to allow students more affordable ways of accessing their course textbooks.
“The WSU bookstore is dedicated to helping students find the course materials they need in the format that best suits their learning style and budget,” said Gebhart.
