Management of Library Course Reserves and the Textbook Affordability Crisis

Abstract

Students at U.S. colleges and universities are concerned about the high cost of textbooks. Expansion of library course reserves has been suggested as one solution to this problem. The authors surveyed libraries at public universities to explore the status and management of physical course reserves and the role they play vis-à-vis textbook affordability. Both size and circulation of physical course reserve collections are declining. Despite a large growth in the use of electronic reserves, physical reserves play a significant role in providing textbooks for recommended reading lists. Physical course reserves represent a safety valve for students looking for ways to pay for college in an environment of ever-increasing textbook costs.

KEYWORDS:

• Textbooks
• textbook affordability
• course reserves
• mid-sized university libraries
• survey
• staffing
• publishers
• college book stores

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Karyle Butcher, University Librarian at Oregon State University, for supporting this project with a grant from the Friends of OSU Libraries, our colleagues for their input and review, staff at the OSU Survey Research Center for advice on the survey design, and the librarians across the country who responded.