ANN ARBOR—To help students save money in the face of increasing costs of textbooks, the University of Michigan has launched UBooks, an online tool aimed at making it easier and more foolproof for students to buy and sell used books.

Although many universities have adopted means to contain textbook costs, U-M has taken it a step further by integrating such measures into its course management system.

The tool, developed by Michigan, is located in CTools, the university’s courseware system. In addition to supporting sales between students, the system sends faculty selections automatically to local booksellers so they can track down used texts in enough time to offer them for sale.

Here’s how UBook works: Faculty are encouraged to identify the books they will use in the next semester early by imputing the information into an online tool. Students currently using that title can then post it for sale in UBook. A would-be buyer expresses interest in the textbook via e-mail, and the transaction occurs between the individuals, not within the online tool.

“It is too early to tell how successful the (early adoption) program will be but we are pleased that many faculty already have responded to this effort to help students save money in the face of the dramatic increases in the cost of new textbooks,” said Lester Monts, U-M senior vice provost. “We recognize that early decisions are not possible for all faculty, but over time we hope those that can declare their choices early will see the value to students and to themselves.”

Monts notes faculty benefit by finding out early if there are problems stocking a particular title, if there is a new edition, or if a title is out of print. The process also gets textbooks into the hands of students before they register, so that they can be sure the course is what they expect long before they walk into a classroom.

“It will simplify the textbook buying and selling process a lot, and bring it down to a local level,” said U-M junior Cameron Cropek “In the past, I have sold my old textbooks online, and the transactions are difficult. They send you a check in the mail, you have to pay for shipping, and it is hard to tell if the buyer is even legitimate.

“I guess (with UBook) I will be able to meet the person I buy or sell books from, and that takes away the uncertainty of buying online.”

A task force appointed by the U-M Office of the Provost recommended the changes in response to concerns expressed by student leaders about the rising costs of textbooks.

“We’re all looking for ways to save money, and here we’re trying to save our students money as well,” said David Baum, the U-M Law School’s assistant dean for student affairs, noting that new texts used by Law School students can run as much as a few hundred dollars for a single class.

The changes also allow U-M to comply with the new 2010 Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HR 4137), which states that textbook information must be included in online course schedules to the extent possible.

Related Links:

• UBook system
• Textbook Taskforce report (.pdf)