Bookstore blues

The beginning of a new semester has meant at least one wait in a long line at the Penn Bookstore for many students. If you are one of those students, you are undoubtedly aware of the ever-increasing cost of textbooks -- many now have crossed the $100 plateau.

While costs continue to rise, however, many alternatives do exist for the savvy consumer.

The Bookstore has made commendable efforts recently to make used books available alongside their new counterparts. And thanks to the Internet, students can use the power of the free market to both buy books at lower prices and sell them for a reasonable amount.

But circumventing the traditional means of buying books is more challenging than it should be. Required reading lists are too often not released before the first day of class, which can leave students at a disadvantage if they choose to purchase books online, since delivery times can range from a few days to more than a week.

To help alleviate the pre-term Bookstore rush and make it easier for students to find the best deal for texts if they choose, the University should mandate that all required materials be listed in the official course register.

Not only would this allow students to plan their textbook purchases in advance, but it would also make classes easier to compare. Is the same class taught by two different professors essentially the same class or not? At least in terms of teaching materials, we could have an answer up front.

And while departments are in the process of adding books to the course list, it would be a good time for some serious revision to the course register. As it stands currently, most class listings are so vague that they give no indication whatsoever as to the content and the workload of the class. Take the listing for Ancient History 448: History of Anatolia in the Iron Age, for example: Lydians, Phrygians, Carians and other Iron Age peoples of Anatolia. What exactly does that mean?

A list of required materials would go a lot farther than that 10-word description in terms of explaining what to expect from the course. Not to mention that cash-strapped students might get a break by shopping around for the cheapest price.

As textbooks represent one of the most substantial costs students face, any effort to make them more affordable will only help to make Penn more accessible to everyone.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.