AAP Reviews Proposed Solutions in ACSFA Textbook Report

    WASHINGTON, May 31 /PRNewswire/ -- "The Advisory Committee on Student
 Financial Assistance (ACSFA) report issued today, Turn the Page: Making
 College Textbooks More Affordable, raises important questions and clearly
 states that assigning blame to faculty, colleges, bookstores and publishers
 for current textbook costs is without merit. The Association of American
 Publishers (AAP) and the publishing community thank the members and staff
 of ACSFA for their work on this important issue and appreciate the
 opportunities we had to testify at the Committee's hearings.
     ACSFA's report stresses the import of the digital and lower-cost
 solutions in which post-secondary textbook publishers are currently
 investing, including custom textbooks, "no frills" editions and
 e-textbooks. Publishers continue to be leading advocates for advancing the
 use of technology and digital materials throughout post-secondary
 education. Publishers are active participants in the California State
 University System's effort to promote the use of digital course materials
 to enhance student learning, which is the basis for ACSFA's key long-term
 recommendation. These increasingly sophisticated digital learning materials
 for students and faculty go beyond the basic e-textbook to include online
 practice exams and homework, online tutoring, podcasting, video clips, 3-D
 graphics and other interactive features that are available to students
 24/7.
     As the Committee stated, legislative and regulatory measures that would
 compel specific actions are counterproductive for all the stakeholders
 involved. We are concerned about a few of the reports recommendations such
 as the expansion of the used textbook market, which will actually drive up
 costs in the long term, and the call for increased usage of e-reserves,
 without consideration of potential copyright implications.
     AAP members remain ready to further discuss the ideas and possible
 solutions in the ACSFA report. By providing a broad range of learning
 materials that students need, especially materials for those who are less
 prepared for today's academic environment, publishers are committed to
 helping students succeed, the foremost goal of post-secondary education."
     Further information is available at http://www.textbookfacts.org
     Association of American Publishers
     AAP is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing
 industry. AAP's more than 300 members include most of the major commercial
 book publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit
 publishers, university presses and scholarly societies.
 
 

SOURCE Association of American Publishers