With a $10,000 ASSC grant and a partnership with the Skyline College Bookstore, the Library is expanding its reserve collection with high-demand textbooks to increase access to critical learning materials and student success. Guidelines for purchases include (1) high cost, (2) high usage, and (3) high number of course sections requiring a textbook.
The increasingly high cost of textbooks is a barrier for many Skyline College students. Many textbooks cost over $200 – especially in math, science, and career technology disciplines. PIRGs, a research and advocacy organization, found that high textbook costs deter 65% of students from purchasing assigned materials despite concerns for their grades (Senack, 2014). Many students rely on 2-hour library “reserve” textbooks for access to their course materials whether they are waiting for financial aid funds, have ordered a book online that has not arrived, or are unable to purchase or rent the book.
The Library continues to encourage faculty to donate required textbook copies to the Reserve collection and to consider adopting low-cost and open educational resources such as Open Stax.
Article by Pearl Ly | Photo by Kristen Lee
