University of South Florida
IN-41: Textbook Affordability

Textbook Affordability Project
"The purpose of the Textbook Affordability Project (TAP) is to promote awareness of textbook affordability issues create solutions that ensure all students have access to course materials that are affordable, up-to-date, and satisfy academic needs. In the 2019-2020 school year, students at four-year public colleges spent an average of $1,240 on textbooks and supplies, according to collegeboard.com.
In 2018, more than 21,000 Florida students, including many from USF, participated in a Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey conducted by Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC). The results found that the cost of textbooks continues to negatively impact student access, success, and completion. Of the total respondents, 64.2% said the high cost of textbooks prevented them from purchasing a required textbook. Moreover, 42.8% of respondents said they took fewer courses, 35.6% believe they earned a poor grade, and 22.9% dropped a course because of high textbook costs.
To help mitigate these issues, TAP provides informative, effective, and active solutions to the rising cost of textbooks through various initiatives and programs.
1. Website – tap.usf.edu features need-to-know information about USF Bookstore adoption deadlines; textbook afford-ability initiatives, policies, and regulations; and best practices for reducing student costs.
2. Textbook Recommendation Service – each semester TAP prepares cost-saving recommendations for faculty members across USF. These recommendations are based of USF Bookstore adoption data from the previous year: for ex-ample, Fall 2020 adoptions help to inform TAP when creating Fall 2021 recommendations, as similar courses are of-ten taught Fall-to-Fall and Spring-to-Spring. TAP often recommends adopting digital rather than print formats or refers faculty to access their textbook for free through Ebooks for the Classroom+.
3. Ebooks for the Classroom makes electronic books and textbooks available to students at no cost, with no access limitations. The USF Libraries will purchase electronic versions of currently adopted course materials if they are available in that format, at the request of instructors.
4. Open Access Textbooks – Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible to all, without restriction. USF Scholar Commons is a 'virtual showcase for USFʼs research and creative energies' which features USF academic community authored and openly accessible journals, textbooks, collections, theses, and dissertations.
5. Textbooks on Reserve – The USF Libraries holds reserves for textbooks and other materials required for students to complete their coursework. These items are either gathered from the USF Libraries collection, on loan from instructors, or are purchased by the USF Libraries, at the request of instructors, to help offset the high cost of textbooks for students. Course reserve items can be borrowed for three-hour loan periods within the USF Libraries.
6. Textbook Adoption Compliance – TAP officially manages USFʼs compliance with textbook affordability laws and regulations in the state of Florida. Three documents govern textbook affordability and selection at USF: Florida Statutes Section 1004.085
Florida Board of Governors 8.003 – Textbook and Instructional Material Affordability USF Regulation 3.029 – Textbook and Instructional Material Affordability."

https://tap.usf.edu/
https://tap.usf.edu/dashboard-spring-2021/
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/

list of attachments:
IN 1 Digital Commons University of South Florida (USF) Tampa Library
IN 1 What is TAP_ – Textbook Affordability Project