ARCATA, Calif. — Students at 13 California State University campuses will be getting access to a new online textbook resource in hopes of offsetting the burdensome cost of traditional textbooks.
The Twenty Million Minds Foundation led by inventor and philanthropist Gary Michelson collaborated with publisher OpenStax College textbooks at Rice University to offer textbooks in core subjects at campus libraries, online and through low-cost print versions.
Professors will be encouraged to adopt the textbooks; a few use them already.
Humboldt State University library dean Cyril Oberlander says research has shown open textbooks are of equal or better value than many that cost up to $300.
Colleges are increasingly looking to digital textbooks to help cash-strapped students. The College Board estimates students spend on average $1,200 a year on books and supplies.
