Officials of bookstores near campus say a bill in the state legislature would benefit their stores.
If passed, House Bill 226 would require that, as of Fall 2009, instead of selling textbooks in one bundle with the additional supplemental materials, the books and materials would be unbundled and sold separately. The bill also allows the entire packages that publishers send to bookstores to be sold as used.
“It’s a great impact on business,†said Carol Behr, general manager of Kennedy Bookstore. “This way we can buy back more used books and sell them back to students for a cheaper price.â€
David Wade, general manager of Wildcat Textbooks, said the bill would impact business in many ways. There are books right now that contain pieces of software that the companies can only get from the publisher, he said. The more items sold separately, the more convenient it is for the bookstore.
State Rep. Carl Rollins, D-Midway, is the chair of the House Education Committee and the sponsor of the bill.
He said the bill will not only offer bundled and unbundled books and materials, but it would also provide publisher’s information to faculty members and provides students with other information about where to receive the books.
Rollins said the items would be sold separately, meaning students can buy what they need for each class instead of buying a product in the package that is not mandatory for class.
The state Council on Postsecondary Education would make sure the adoption of the books by the professors are turned in on time.
This bill allows council to issue more of a penalty if books are not adopted on time, and it allows students to pick and choose what they need for their classes depending on the professor’s curriculum.
The books that will be sold in the fall would only be allowed to be sold if the products can be unbundled and sold individually.
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