College textbook costs

A federal advisory committee charged with finding ways to contain the rapid rise in college textbook costs recommends overhauling the textbook market to produce long-term results. The committee pointed no fingers and instead blamed a structural flaw in the market because faculty members select the books but students pay for them. Though students are affected most directly, faculty, colleges, bookstores and publishers are also victims of the failure of this market, and blaming them for high textbook prices is not the answer.

Congress directed the committee to focus on textbooks after a Government Accountability Office report in 2005 found that students could spend as much as $900 a year on new textbooks and supplies. It also found that price increases averaged 6% a year, or twice the rate of inflation. Some states have introduced or passed legislation aimed at improving affordability.