eTextbooks: California State University to Offer Systemwide Digital Textbook Rental Program

From the California State University System News Release:

The California State University [has] announced partnerships with Cengage Learning, CourseSmart® and Follett that will provide more than 5,000 of the most popular eTextbooks at discounted prices as part of a systemwide digital textbook rental program.
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Beginning in the fall, students will be have the choice to rent digital versions of texts – eTextbooks – at a cost savings of 60 percent or more compared with the cost of purchasing the same text as a new printed version. Students will have access to the digital material for the length of the academic term and also have the option to print out the material from the eTextbooks. eTextbooks can be rented conveniently by CSU students through their campus bookstore supported by CengageBrain.com, CourseSmart.com and CafeScribe.com. eTextbooks and other digital materials will be available through laptops, desktops, tablets and various other devices, and can be accessed online or offline and include interactive capabilities such as note-taking and highlighting.

Via Inside Higher Ed:

Importantly to faculty groups, the university does not plan to mandate that professors adopt e-textbooks. Cengage is not requiring that California State promise a certain number of professor adoptions or student purchases as a condition of the discounts, according to Bill Rieders, executive vice president of global strategy and business development for Cengage.

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