By Ed Rider
Eight decades ago, Love Library South first welcomed students to the heart of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s City Campus. As the building marks its 80th anniversary, the University Libraries are anything but old-fashioned, offering students programs and services to keep Huskers connected to the future of learning.
Access to course materials is critical for student success, yet the rising cost of textbooks puts them out of reach for some students. Recognizing this challenge, the University Libraries launched the Libraries Course Materials program two years ago, giving thousands of UNL students free options that ease financial strain and open doors to learning. The program allows students to access materials through the University Libraries’ collections, including e-books with unlimited user licenses. Since its launch, it has already saved students more than $3.1 million.
Troy Kallhoff, a sophomore from Exeter, Nebraska, majoring in political science and economics, became aware of the Libraries Course Materials program during his first semester at UNL. He estimates that he has saved approximately $500 over the last three semesters.
“This semester, all of my class materials for my United States Foreign Policy class were uploaded to campus at no cost to myself or the other students in class,” Kallhoff said. “In another class, the book was available fully online at no cost.”
A pilot study was launched this semester to explore opportunities to scale the program. The study involved 18 instructors teaching 27 courses that had not previously used the program. While there are several pathways for faculty to get their course materials for students, the current system is complicated because it requires a lot of time to investigate all the options to find the most affordable versions every semester.
The Libraries team took on that comparison work, searching for assigned course materials across their collections, open educational resource repositories and the university’s two Inclusive Access vendors, Unizin and Follett. Of the 27 courses, only three already used the lowest-cost option. The remaining 24 could save students money by switching to Libraries- or other campus-supported resources.
“One way the Libraries keeps costs down for students and ensures that they have access to quality learning materials is by purchasing e-books with unlimited user licenses,” said Liz Lorang, dean of University Libraries. “These licenses mean that all students in a course — and all users of the UNL community, in fact — can use the book simultaneously.”
The Libraries has provided more than 6,000 items to over 23,000 students enrolled in the 600-plus classes using Libraries Course Materials lists. While students save significant amounts of money, new expenses shift to the University Libraries because an unlimited license e-book is more expensive than a traditional e-book.
The program, subsidized through several funding resources, is available to all students taking courses where faculty have integrated course materials through the Libraries. The Libraries made affordable course materials a priority as part of Only in Nebraska: A Campaign for Our University’s Future, a historic effort to engage 150,000 donors to raise $3 billion to support the University of Nebraska. Student access and success is the campaign’s top priority.
As part of this campaign, University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni Tom and Candy Henning have pledged a gift to acquire more unlimited licenses for the University Libraries, to expand its initiative to provide free course materials to students.
The Hennings are University of Nebraska Foundation Trustees and serve as the co-chairs of the Libraries Committee as part of the Only in Nebraska campaign. The Lincoln couple learned about the prohibitive cost of course materials for students, including how less affluent students sometimes have to choose between buying groceries and buying books or other resources for their classes.
Tom Henning said an investment in the University Libraries resonated with the couple because of how it could positively impact students.
“Whether you came from an affluent background or not, you wouldn’t be disadvantaged relative to having the textbooks you need access to in order to do your studies,” Tom Henning said.
Kallhoff encouraged his fellow students to look into the program as it expands over time.
“Take advantage of the program throughout your college experience,” Kallhoff said. “It has already saved me money and time in trying to find the materials needed for classes and will undoubtedly save me more of both in the future.”
