Full Backpacks, Empty Wallets

It isn't enough that Sacramento State University's bookstore forces students to pay ridiculous amounts for textbooks. They like to taunt you about it afterwards. The Hornet Bookstore provides nothing but disappointment for students looking to cash in at the end of the semester.


"Let's see here... We can give you 28 dollars for this one, five dollars for this one, and we can't buy this one back," the lady behind the counter said. "Why not?" I ask. "It's an old edition," she says, "You see, they release a new edition of this textbook every year."

One would think that the bookstore would be willing to refund a greater portion of that initial investment. Is 50 percent too much to ask for? It isn't like there aren't profits to be had, as the books that are sold in used condition are still relatively expensive. Taking a small loss to earnings could significantly help to relieve some of the financial burden on the students.

As disappointing as it may be, there is just no obligation for this privately-owned bookstore to accede to a student's needs. This is understandable, as it's not in their best financial interests to help alleviate the amount students are paying for textbooks. What isn't understandable is the unreasonable extent that the bookstore is driving for that profit margin given the current economic situation.

Along with the ever-increasing cost of college tuition fees, the rising cost of textbooks threaten students' financial stability. The wholesale prices charged by textbook publishers have jumped 62 percent since 1994, and that doesn't account for the additional amount levied by the bookstore itself. After the Hornet Bookstore was privatized, prices of textbooks has steadily risen and the money given to re-sellers has steadily sunk.

What's worse is the publishing industry's practice of constantly producing new editions. These new versions, released usually every 2 or 3 years, are an attempt by the publisher to bring in more profits. A recent study conducted by the Student Public Interest Research Group found that the new editions are on average 12 percent more expensive than the edition that it replaces. Also, the study also found that 72 percent of college professors believe that new editions are necessary "less than half of the time."

Thankfully, studying journalism doesn't usually necessitate a hefty book load. Purchasing the AP Stylebook and often times a couple short, cheaper books is the most expected from a journalism major. When the time comes to fork out the money for my textbooks, it's usually the general education courses that rack up the largest bill.

My girlfriend's textbooks, on the other hand, cost enough to make up for mine and then some. As a speech-language pathology major with a minor in biology and psychology, textbooks don't come cheap. She spent the first two semesters buying books for courses from the Hornet Bookstore. The combined total from the two semesters was somewhere near $900. The amount is covered by her financial aid, but leaves little left over for paying tuition fees.

These preposterous prices are the reason that she, like many other students, has moved her purchases online. Online new and used book sellers and buyers like the recently popularized Chegg.com have emerged as a bit of relief for starving students. Chegg.com is just one of the many websites that students can buy college textbooks at a reasonable cost, and even rent out books as an even cheaper alternative to buying. Since the market is competitive, the prices have remained lower then a majority of campus bookstores.

Most college students are frugal, and they will take their money to where their dollar goes the furthest. Right now, buying textbooks from our bookstore is actually a monetary mistake. There a couple ways for the bookstore to fix that, the obvious one being slightly lower prices. The buyback rates could also be increased to a more reasonable amount, and accepting old editions at a fraction of wholesale buyback prices would be considerate.

The Hornet Bookstore should make a change, if not for the sake of students, for itself. The market for buying and selling college textbooks online is expanding. If the bookstore doesn't adapt, it could be seeing a loss in business.

Playing the Devil's Advocate or Sincerely Passionate?

During the late 1930s and early 1940s, UK-based news magazine The Economist was covering Adolf Hitler's accession to power and economic policies. At the time, the National Socialist Party - the Nazi party - was implementing policies that transferred the ownership of institutions from the government into private hands. It was through The Economist's coverage of Nazi Germany's economic structures that the term 'privatization' was coined.

Apparently some libraries have stocked a couple extra copies of Mein Kampf in their collection...

Just this year, multiple libraries in San Diego, Santa Clarita and Vallejo have been outsourced and/or privatized due to the budgetary problems within California's government. California isn't the only state moving this public good towards private ownership; Oregon, Texas and Tennessee have all given up on having some of their libraries thrive off of the government's backing.

Privatization seems like an easy solution, assist the economy by putting the product into the hands of a business and simultaneously take pressure off of the taxpayers. Supporters say that the private sector can even do it more efficiently and will have more accountability to the marketplace. However, placing libraries functions into the hands of private businesses may have unforeseen consequences.

According to the American Library Association, the outsourcing and privatization of libraries can have a far-reaching, resoundingly harmful impact on the services and management of a library. Most of the businesses that take over public libraries will just completely clean house, and replace the staff with inexperienced people who will work for less money. This procedure leads to essential library tasks such as cataloging going by the wayside under the unseasoned management.

If a private company took over a library and desired solely to take advantage of the public by charging ridiculous prices for rentals, what could stop them? How would people know if they are being cheated anyways? Unlike a publicly-owned institution, information within a private organization can be kept confidential. How could the public control what books that a private library keeps in stock, why wouldn't they reserve space for only the most popular books on the shelves?

The transition from the public to the private sector is something that is presently occurring, so there are a great deal of questions that remain unanswered. Many library associations, like the ALA, are worried that all publicly funded libraries could eventually become privately owned. My biggest question: How can we prevent these corporate takeovers from happening altogether?

Unfortunately, there is no quick solution that is readily available. Government is struggling financially to support these institutions, and is more than happy to give them away. The only way to solve the problem is by asking people to re-evaluate whether this is the best course of action for the future of libraries. If enough people were to consider this to be a negative route, then hopefully our government would recognize the concern and work to keep libraries in the public sector.

Libraries have always served as a public good and are necessary for a democratic society. When a library's primary concern shifts from how it can best serve the public to how it can be most profitable, there is something seriously wrong with our priorities. Having a library that answers to share-holders is like the Peace Corps taking orders from U.S. Marines, it just defeats the purpose.

The right to learn and the right to be informed are principle human rights satisfied simply by the existence of libraries. For-profit businesses have no interest in protecting these rights, and will certainly restrict access to this public service if it means making a quick buck. This isn't Blockbuster, it's a damn library. So please, be quiet and courteous to your fellow library-goers, and leave them where they belong: The public sector.