A new Florida law may provide the solution to a dilemma that has challenged bargain hunters for years - rushing to buy textbooks at discounted prices before classes begin.
Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill Wednesday requiring community colleges and state universities to post lists of required textbooks and their International Standard Book Numbers, or ISBN, on their Web sites at least 30 days before classes begin.
Kevin Reilly, UF Student Body President, said providing the information early gives students time to explore Web sites, bookstores, wholesalers and even classmates to find the most reasonably priced book.
Providing the ISBN eliminates confusion students may encounter when trying to locate different editions and versions of textbooks, Reilly added.
Bookstores will also be able to offer higher buyback refunds for students because they will know whether the books will be used the next semester, he added.
Reilly said seeing the proposal passed into law excited him and the rest of the Gator Party because it is an initiative on the party's platform.
"This bill provides a lot of great benefits for students and consumers," he said.
Ron LaFace, a lobbyist representing the UF student body, said students and lobbyists have pushed to get this law passed for almost five years.
The bill was originally presented as a request for tax exemption on college textbooks.
It did not get passed because it was determined to be too costly when compared with the relatively insignificant amount of money it would save students, LaFace said.
The bill evolved as ideas on how to reform textbook purchasing practices in the most effective way changed, LaFace said.
"It is finally a law," he said. "The results are just a matter of when it kicks in."
