The price of new and used textbooks in bookstores has caused some controversy among the thousands of students who are required to buy the books back every semester.

Lynette Seymour, general manager of the University Book Store located in the Memorial Union, said the price of a new textbook depends on the publisher’s suggested retail price, while the price given to students during buyback depends on professor requisition.

“If we have received a requisition from a faculty member for the next semester and we do not have an overstock on the shelf, we will offer up to 55 percent of the new book price,” Seymour said.

If a requisition from a faculty member has not been received by buyback time or the book will not be used the following semester, the bookstore then works with a used book company in buying the textbook back, Seymour said.

“Used book companies, such as Nebraska Book Company, will offer 10 to 30 percent of new book price for books they might find a market for somewhere else in the nation,” Seymour said.

Some students feel the price of a textbook is not as big of an issue as the amount of use that the textbook receives.

“I once paid for a math book that I never used, so I ended up wasting my money,” said Dan Jordan, sophomore in civil engineering. “Some textbooks are worth their price because it is used in class, while others are a waste of your money if the professor doesn’t use it. It all depends on how the professor teaches.”

To relieve students from buying unnecessary books, some professors categorize books as required or optional to help students save money.

“If a professor doesn’t plan on using the book a lot, it should be optional,” said Kristin Kolsrud, junior in journalism and mass communication.

Seymour believes that students suffer “sticker shock” when they enter a higher institution because they are unaware of how much textbooks cost.

“I think more than anything, we have come up in the public school system where the textbooks are recycled or rented,” Seymour said. “Before, the [textbooks were] paid in tax dollars, but when you go to a public or private institution, this is no longer the case.”

Some students feel that the price of textbooks makes college that much more unaffordable for students.

“I think that textbooks are overpriced, but it’s not necessarily the bookstore gouging you,” said Alyssa Puffer, freshman in animal science. “The people who put in their time and do research should receive what the book is worth if it is used in an university.”

Seymour said textbooks include a lot of intellectual licensing and research, and students have to pay for the content and the copyright of that information.

“Higher education changes rapidly because the professor wants the most up-to-date information to share with the students, so that drives the price up,” Seymour said. “Textbooks are not a commodity but a piece of information that is with you 24 hours a day.”

To put the price of textbooks into perspective, Seymour compared it to buying clothing at a department store.

“If you went to Younkers and said ‘I used this for three months, what will you give me to take it back?’ they wouldn’t let you sell it back,” Seymour said. “Textbooks are not just paper with ink on it.”