With textbook prices on the rise, some ISU faculty members try to help students keep their expenses down.

Scott Myers, assistant professor of sociology, said that for larger classes, publishers are willing to make custom textbooks and only include the chapters and pages professors specify.

“This can reduce the cost of the book anywhere from 25 percent to 50 percent,” he said.

Julie Minkler-Tsivakou, temporary instructor of English, said if the book is too expensive, she won’t order it for her class.

Myers said price is not always the only factor he considers when ordering textbooks for classes. Content and the effectiveness of the textbook are also important, he said. He also uses student evaluations at the end of the semester to judge the usefulness textbooks.

“I strongly urge students to comment about textbooks,” he said. “I have found that the textbooks I like are not always the favorite among my students. I need to know this information.”

Myers said the availability of online sites may help students find books for a better price, as well as books that are not in stock at the campus bookstores.

“I am very aware of the prices of books,” he said. “The price of many textbooks are inflated because they are hard-cover or have too many colored pictures. Having more competition for textbooks can only help the students.”

Minkler-Tsivakou agreed that online sources may be beneficial to students if a book is out of stock.

“I think that online sources are the right thing to do if the shelves of the university bookstores are empty by the time the books are needed for a class,” she said.

However, for popular textbooks, Myers suggested checking the availability at other colleges, such as the University of Northern Iowa, the University of Iowa and Des Moines Area Community College.

Although most professors have not had trouble with the availability of books at the campus bookstores, when books are out of stock or out of print, it is difficult for students to find the necessary materials for their classes.

Minkler-Tsivakou said she plans ahead by checking with the textbook publishers before ordering her books.

“Personally, I order books for my classes after I make sure that they are in print, and if the University or Campus Book Store doesn’t have them on their shelves on time, I check with them on a daily basis until they bring them in,” she said.

Wally Niebauer, associate professor of journalism, said he rarely requires textbooks but instead puts copies of the books on reserve.

Minkler-Tsivakou also said she makes books available at the library.

“If a book I’ve ordered for a literature class is high-priced, then I will make sure that there is at least one copy on reserve in the library,” she said.

Minkler-Tsivakou said she doesn’t hesitate to tell students to buy books from other locations.

“When I teach literature courses and, since I choose books that are sold in any bookstore, I advise my students to either buy them from other bookstores or order them online,” she said.