Say NO to Indiana U. exclusively linking textbook info to Barnes and Noble's front door!

Are you for more choices when it comes to shopping for textbooks? That's what the Higher Education Opportunity Act is all about! So stop the move to exclusively hyperlink Indiana University assigned textbooks to the Barnes and Noble/University Bookstore...

WHATʼS THE DEAL?
Indiana University recently announced that IUB instructors will be required to hyperlink textbook information to the Barnes and Noble/University Bookstore to comply with the recently passed Higher Education Opportunity Act. The Act requires instructors to list assigned textbook information on the Schedule of Classes. This will give students a chance to see how much any given courseʼs books will cost them as they browse and register for classes online (a good thing). But IU has also chosen to hyperlink instructors assigned readings listed in the Schedule of Classes to the Barnes and Noble/University Bookstore. Exclusively. While hyperlinking required texts to the front door of the Barnes and Noble/University Bookstore might be a convenient way to help students purchase textbooks for their classes, the Higher Education Opportunity Act does NOT REQUIRE IU to do this. Read the Act for yourself at: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/highered/leg/hea08/index.html

Concerned IU instructors fear this new exclusive hyperlinking policy will:

1) Inadvertently privilege access to Barnes and Noble over local and other online booksellers that might provide cheaper books

2) Create the impression that Barnes and Noble is the only distributor of IU instructor textbooks

3) Create confusion and unnecessary purchases by students if an assigned title is not available through the Barnes and Noble or an instructor changes the assigned text and the new information doesnʼt make it to the Schedule of Classes hyperlinks before the student buys the books for class.

SO STOP THE PLANS FOR EXCLUSIVE LINKING AND DO THE FOLLOWING:
Build a virtual gateway for students that links the Schedule of Classesʼ listing of required textbooks to a comprehensive list of textbook distributors used by campus instructors. If IU canʼt do that then it should keep the Schedule of Classes links-free.

After considering this petition, we also hope you'll hear our concerns at the next Bloomington Faculty Council meeting, TUESDAY APRIL 20, 3:30PM in the IMU Georgian Room.