Hi Sam,

What a great question. I have dealt with something like this in the past, wherein a textbook that was purchased for one course in a program was then used again (required) for subsequent courses. Mind you, the key distinction here is that there was a sequence, and the initial course was not taken concurrently with the others. In this case we reasoned that the initial course required textbook costs whereas the subsequent ones technically did not (with a heavy asterisk here and clear information provided to prospective students for that program). But that approach wouldn’t necessarily work when the set of courses is taken concurrently. Nor would it work well if the program isn’t cohort based and permits students to transfer in after one or more of the courses that use the text.

I will be interested in other approaches to this issue, which is such a great example of the kind of case you encounter during implementation. As with decisions around what qualifies as a “textbook” in 2026, I think you can reasonably land in more than one place here and would so would recommend clear rationale and communication.

Cheers,

Rajiv

Hi everyone !

 

At StFX, we are launching a voluntary course marking program for zero and low textbook cost courses on the course timetable for the next regular academic year, starting in September. We have landed on $75 for now for the low-cost option, which is based partially on the textbook costs from 2023/2024, at least for now. I realize other institutions have a lower threshold, but this is what we’re starting with, anyway. My question is, how are institutions marking courses when the textbook is shared across more than one course? I’m unsure of the cost of the book in question, to be honest, but I thought I would ask the group as to how other institutions are handling this unique situation.

 

Many thanks in advance,

 

Sam Read MA (Études françaises), MLIS

[she/her]

Digital Initiatives & Data Services Librarian

Angus L. Macdonald Library

St. Francis Xavier University

Antigonish, Nova Scotia · Canada

sread@stfx.ca

 

Book an appointment with me: https://stfx.libcal.com/appointments/sam

 

Liaison Librarian for:

Aquatic Resources | Business | Earth & Environmental Sciences | Economics | Modern Languages | Political Science | Psychology  | Public Policy & Governance

 

 

I acknowledge that StFX is located in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq People.