Print or e- textbooks?

Steven Sharp, University of Leeds

7 August 2009

You may have seen in the news recently that 'Terminator' actor and California governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, plans to sweep away textbooks in California schools as he believes that they are outdated and too expensive. Schwarzenegger is quoted as saying, "The textbooks are outdated, as far as I'm concerned . . . Starting this fall with high school math and science, we will be the first state in the nation to provide schools with a state-approved list of digital textbooks. Think about this. Traditional hardbound textbooks are adopted in six-year cycles, so as soon as they are printed, then the next six years you don't get the latest information."

In his speech Schwarzenegger went on to point out that school children nowadays use the internet as their first port of call when doing schoolwork, and accepts that the Rise of the machines shows no signs of abating.

The cynical amongst you may see this simply as a way of trying to save money for the State, but others may see this as a brave step towards a more exciting, technologically-advanced education system fit for the 21st century - but can it bring Salvation or will it bring on the End of days?

Schwarzenegger did accept that the move was partly financially motivated, but his key interest was in ensuring that California's children had access to up-to-date information whenever they needed it. Is what he says the truth or just True lies? Is this a realistic way to save money and can kids get as good an education from the internet?

Thinking back to my days as a children's bookseller, I wondered how you replicate in electronic form the excitement and fun of playing with Janet and Allen Ahlberg's 'The jolly postman' if you can't take the miniature letters out of the miniature envelopes in the book? Do classic children's books like this need to be re-written for a 21st century generation, allowing children to click to read an e-mail sent by one of the characters instead? Then, surely, the postman's job comes under threat and the whole point of the book is lost!

But does losing that element of fun necessarily mean that children will end up with a more lacklustre education, or does an electronic book offer modern kids a new type of fun?

I couldn't help but wonder whether this move could have implications for higher education institutions in the UK?

It could be argued that undergraduate students have traditionally been robbed of that element of fun in their learning - with textbooks being just that, books full of text - and that a move to more interactive, multimedia e-book learning could actually improve their enjoyment and therefore their understanding of the academic disciplines. The inclusion of video clips, interactive diagrams and models, etc,in e-books could bring the fun back into learning!

So, is Schwarzenegger The villain of the piece - or maybe a Last action hero seeking a way to save the world of learning? Is the UK education community just waiting for a similar educational Eraser or curricular Conan the Destroyer? Critics may say that the Predator is already in our midst as academic libraries have been purchasing e-books to supplement their print collections for a number of years.

Coincidentally, the Californian announcement was closely followed by a press release from JISC announcing the new 'e-books for Further Education (FE)' project, jointly funded by the Learning Skills Council (LSC), which will make over 3000 e-books freely available for five years to every college and sixth form in the UK. It will not go as far as the Californian model in abandoning printed texts completely, but will enhance the student experience by enabling all FE students in the UK to access online course texts to support their studies. Colleges will also be able to purchase additional e-books at specially discounted prices to add to their collection, enabling each college to build a more tailored collection to meet the needs of its students.

The e-books will be made available via the ebrary e-book platform from the start of the next academic year, with subjects ranging from fashion design to software engineering, health and social care to automobile electronics, and beauty therapy to practical lambing.

CEO of JISC Collections, Lorraine Estelle, said, "This is not the end of the printed text. Rather than replacing printed material, e-books will support students' studies providing a broader range of reading materials, knowledge and opinions. In this way, this project will do more than just provide free course material, it will add a greater value to that already provided by the FE institution."

Contrary to many publishers fears, the results from JISC's earlier e-book national observatory project in HE institutions showed that e-books actually support the use of traditional printed texts rather than detracting from them, allowing students to study more in their own time. There was also some evidence to suggest that e-book use potentially improved the way students learn by broadening their analytical and evaluation skills.

My own view is that children's books and academic texts are two different entities, and what may be seen as a loss for younger children should be viewed as a distinct advantage for undergraduate students. The rise in multimedia add-ons and interactive content can only enhance textbooks and scholarship. Therefore it seems clear to me that a move towards the provision of more e-books in higher education will greatly enhance the student learning experience, but we should maybe pause for a moment to consider the real costs of digital versus hard copy.

There is some variation between publishers and platforms, but a general rule for academic titles is that e-books are priced at one to one-and-a-half times the hardback print price, depending on the access model. What must not be forgotten though is that, unlike print, VAT has to be added to that cost. And then there is often an annual platform access fee to add into the equation. Despite these costs, there are distinct financial advantages, especially if an institution purchases one unlimited-use e-book to replace multiple print copies.

But there are other hidden costs. It may not be as problematic in the average Californian primary school, but as UK students progress through their academic life they expect to see their educational materials on the library catalogue. Purchasing large collections of e-books presents the same cataloguing problems for the library as purchases of large e-journal collections did. Bibliographic records must be added en masse (and deleted en masse if a package is cancelled), and the problems multiply if a library chooses to have a single merged record for print and online formats. Also, as with e-journals, e-books require regular link checking to ensure that access is maintained for customers.

If this move to electronic provision heralds The long goodbye to textbooks as we know them, we should also maybe consider the Collateral damage - what about the livelihoods of library suppliers, librarians and booksellers?

On a personal note, though I wholeheartedly support the provision of e-book content, I can't help but think that in true Terminator fashion textbooks will have the last word, "I'll be back".