How cheap are online college texts?
(Looking through used books at the U.C. Irvine bookstore)
Shopping for textbooks as the college semester starts? It's painful, sometimes to the tune of $1,000 worth of pain.
Many critics suggest turning to online textbooks. But a sharply critical view suggests that the digital world doesn't offer much savings when you take into account that students can resell their traditional books after the class is done.
The report from the student Public Interest Research Groups comes after many attacks -- from Congress to the California state auditor -- on the high price of college texts. Frank Lyman, representing the e-textbook company CourseSmart, says digital textbooks give students a choice, and can be a good deal.
-- Gale Holland
Photo by Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times
