Do you kind of NOT like the idea of E textbooks?

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A couple issues I have.

1) What if the E-books are only released to one such device? (IMO it should be E readers and laptops,Ipads etc.) Not just say a Kindle and that's it. (I don't own an E-reader)

2 (Future references) I still have my college books from 5 years ago. (Sure the NON major stuff goes away but the as it is now Psychology books (I have General and 2 of my sisters books surely over 10 years old now) but as someone majoring in Psychology I plan on KEEPING those books. Perhaps look back on them in the future.

3) Cost?? (Sure I hear cheaper for the student but how much will be "cheaper"

4) I like a BOOK! Sit open the pages etc. I can't imagine using say my laptop to read my textbook. (For research papers I find data and PRINT it THEN read it and find the data/quotes I want to use. I have to have it in my hand on paper.

5) Oh no device (computer/etc.) breaks no reading your textbook need to study for a test!! ! What now???

6) Lets say I did have a psychology book on my laptop (and am keeping it) once again computer breaks OR On my Ipod Touch (say newer model doesn't transfer old-new) So it's obsolete etc.

Any other negatives you guys can think of? Yes like I said most of my books go in the garbage etc. but I plan to keep the stuff I'm majoring in for reference. What are your thoughts (those in college or further along in College did YOU save your books to look back on?)

I prefer books.

If eTextbooks become the norm (and I push for this because hardback publishing is the biggest cost scam perpetuated on the student), none of those problems will exist. Here is why.

1) What if the E-books are only released to one such device? (IMO it should be E readers and laptops,Ipads etc.) Not just say a Kindle and that's it. (I don't own an E-reader)

eTextbooks would have to be universal in format. Any device of your choice (from iPhone to laptop) would have to be able to use it.

2 (Future references) I still have my college books from 5 years ago. (Sure the NON major stuff goes away but the as it is now Psychology books (I have General and 2 of my sisters books surely over 10 years old now) but as someone majoring in Psychology I plan on KEEPING those books. Perhaps look back on them in the future.

So few people save textbooks (as much of the information becomes outdated) that only books dealing with the most immutable facts of a subject would be available in hard copy format. You'd have the option of buying those if you want a reference copy. Any digital eBook content would be yours for life....just back it up so you can look at it later.

3) Cost?? (Sure I hear cheaper for the student but how much will be "cheaper"

This could be an issue, but technology makes stuff cheaper as it is mass-produced. The bulk of a textbook is the material and shipping. eBooks have no real cost by comparison, but we must safeguard against the DVD/CD exploitation (the price never really went down when the justification for the higher initial cost was that it was "new" technology).

4) I like a BOOK! Sit open the pages etc. I can't imagine using say my laptop to read my textbook. (For research papers I find data and PRINT it THEN read it and find the data/quotes I want to use. I have to have it in my hand on paper.

Understood. In time, we might have something like ePaper. So you'd have the book "feel" but the page would be a display panel. Want to print something? Select and send to printer.

5) Oh no device (computer/etc.) breaks no reading your textbook need to study for a test!! ! What now???

Every college "bookstore" would have to keep several devices on hand as "loaners." Your device breaks down, you pick up a loaner and log in your account so all your texts are available on it.

6) Lets say I did have a psychology book on my laptop (and am keeping it) once again computer breaks OR On my Ipod Touch (say newer model doesn't transfer old-new) So it's obsolete etc.

Goes back to universal formats. Newer equipment would not have an issue.


About the biggest concern would be a "end of the world as we know it" situation where technology effectively does not work. A lot of "published" works would instantly disappear (or be inaccessible), but FWIW, keep in mind that the vast majority of collegiate publications are utter BS you're forced to buy because some teacher puts it on a reading list. You don't intend to keep the book...odds are you won't really read much of the book, and it will be obsolete in 10 years anyhow. I've passed entire classes with Bs and As by doing nothing more than taking notes in class. Everything on the exam came from what was discussed in class, not the textbooks we were made to buy.

Should something happen to ruin the functionality of eBook technology, I wager we'd have bigger problems to be worried about. I'd be more concerned with ALL books being in e-format. That would be a real loss. If we lost 100 years of standard collegiate textbooks, it would hardly be an issue. Much of it is garbage pumped out to force students to buy the latest revision and often from professors under a "publish or perish" clause in their employment agreements with their universities.

When you physically highlight or underline a section in a book, often it helps you remember the phrase more then if you highlight a section in an E book (whatever kind it is), if they even have the option to highlight it.

I only would like regular text books for math and math-related things...I took an online math class once and hated every minute of it.

I am a big fan of e-books. Depending on how I am processing things I can either read them or listen to them. It also helps with organization.

1) What if the E-books are only released to one such device? (IMO it should be E readers and laptops,Ipads etc.) Not just say a Kindle and that's it. (I don't own an E-reader)

e-books are not just released the a Kindle. Amazon has Kindle apps on most smartphones and on the iPad. They also have a Kindle application for computers. You can read the books wherever and whenever. I think that other e-book systems are starting to follow that.

2 (Future references) I still have my college books from 5 years ago. (Sure the NON major stuff goes away but the as it is now Psychology books (I have General and 2 of my sisters books surely over 10 years old now) but as someone majoring in Psychology I plan on KEEPING those books. Perhaps look back on them in the future.

Some e-books are not on a time limit, like most on the Kindle. I keep some of my books too but I am trying to go completely paperless. This is not difficult with so many resources available online.

3) Cost?? (Sure I hear cheaper for the student but how much will be "cheaper"

One of my math textbooks cost $300 in paper and we had to buy it new because they change editions so often. The ebook version cost $67. For smaller books the price drop will not be as dramatic but for the most expensive hard-cover books with lots of glossy pages and ink I have seen similar drops. They are likely cheaper than most used textbooks.

With how textbook companies scam students now this is a great improvement. Keep in mind that it can be very difficult to sell used books especially once they get significantly cheaper than the new ones. Typically by this point I have found that the class switches books or the publisher puts out a new edition.

4) I like a BOOK! Sit open the pages etc. I can't imagine using say my laptop to read my textbook. (For research papers I find data and PRINT it THEN read it and find the data/quotes I want to use. I have to have it in my hand on paper.

I use a laptop and iPad combination for this. Other than communication, this is my main use for my iPad. e-book readers may also help here as would an old laptop or computer so you can type and read.

5) Oh no device (computer/etc.) breaks no reading your textbook need to study for a test!! ! What now???

Back up your books. If you cannot they are probably hosted online anyways. Open them from another device. If you have no other device and no one near you can spare you a computer then go to the library and pull them up there. Some support printing in that situation. If worst comes to worst ask a friend to send you screenshots or scan the pages you need.

6) Lets say I did have a psychology book on my laptop (and am keeping it) once again computer breaks OR On my Ipod Touch (say newer model doesn't transfer old-new) So it's obsolete etc.

That would not happen. If you go with a major publisher it would really hurt them if they did not have compatibility on both versions. Most of the time these books are not even stored only on your computer and if they are then you should back them up like all of your other files.

Any other negatives you guys can think of? Yes like I said most of my books go in the garbage etc. but I plan to keep the stuff I'm majoring in for reference. What are your thoughts (those in college or further along in College did YOU save your books to look back on?)

I save some of my books. I get e-books when I can though. Most of the time the textbooks are not too helpful after my class is over. For those that I know will be helpful I do save them in whatever format I got them in the first place. However, I have never found a need to actually find anything more than a tiny bit of information from them. I usually end up finding that online rather than checking them because it is easier.

I have a hard time processing and retaining information when I read it on a computer screen. Also, it's harder to highlight/underline/make notes in the margins on a computer screen, and these things are really important for me to do when I read for school. I wish I could use e-books because they're cheaper and more environmentally friendly, but I really think my academic performance would suffer.

I would think this would be a great idea, doing away with heavy books in your backpacks, not to
mention all the trees being saved by going paperless, and who ever wants to read an old textbook.