We are delighted that our open letter has now surpassed 3000 signatures. We are not going away. Thanks to everyone who signed and shared the letter. We will keep pushing for the investigation we so desperately need. Can we make it to 5000?
‘Price gouging from Covid’: student ebooks costing up to 500% more than in print
Written for The Guardian by Anna Fazackerley Our campaign features in today's Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/education/2021/jan/29/price-gouging-from-covid-student-ebooks-costing-up-to-500-more-than-in-print Please do read it. It is a fantastic piece. Anna has done an impressive job in illustrating the complexities of the situation with data and comment from Higher Education staff across the UK, Thank you Anna!
The Move to Open Access as Ebook Crisis Worsens
As we approach the second semester in the academic year, we still await meaningful intervention in the ebook crisis from those in power. Arguably, we are in a far more critical situation than at the start of the pandemic when the severe lock-down began in March 2020. Students now have significantly reduced access to resources … Continue reading The Move to Open Access as Ebook Crisis Worsens
Promoting open access resources in programme (re)validations – Guest Post
by Dr Clare McCluskey Dean, Academic Liaison Librarian A recent revalidation of a course suite, in a subject area for which I am the library liaison, brought to a head the problems in providing online access to programme resources. This is both in terms of access during lockdown, preventing unnecessary handling of print sources and … Continue reading Promoting open access resources in programme (re)validations – Guest Post
Academics and ebooks : an example of what you can do to help.
With their fingers firmly in their ears, academic publishers are still busy trying to tout their ebooks to academics. Emails such as the following, which was received by academics today from Oxford University Press (one of the worst culprits in the ebook pricing scandal) I hope teaching is going well in this very unusual year.Like everyone else, … Continue reading Academics and ebooks : an example of what you can do to help.
The market in academic ebooks needs to change : How does the market in academic ebooks work? Not in the interests of students, staff or universities
WonkHE has published the blistering rebuttal of current academic ebook market practices, written by Anthony Sinnott, Access & Procurement Manager at University of York. It can be read here Thank you to Anthony for helping to raise the profile of these important issues and the campaign
Next steps : Competition and Markets Authority and what you can do to help.
Following the disappointing response from the Education Select Committee yesterday, we have been considering our next move. While it is fantastic that we have succeeded in raising awareness of the issue in Westminster, we are still in the position of not being able to buy key text books for our students during an ongoing global … Continue reading Next steps : Competition and Markets Authority and what you can do to help.
Response from Education Select Committee
We have just received the following response to our open letter from the Education Select Committee “Our Committee has a packed forward programme so we don't have any capacity for further inquiries at the moment. However, I am very aware of this campaign on the accessibility, cost and licensing of e-books and perhaps if we … Continue reading Response from Education Select Committee
Letter still open for signatures following media interest – please continue to share
Following coverage of the campaign by BBC New Online and Times Higher Education the issues are receiving much more attention with more people wanting to sign the letter. With this in mind, though Alex Chalk (MP) has delivered the letter to the Chair of Education Select Committee, we intend to keep the letter open for … Continue reading Letter still open for signatures following media interest – please continue to share
BBC News Online Feature : A Response to publishers
On Friday 13th November our campaign was featured on BBC News Online, University staff urge probe into e-book pricing 'scandal. Current academic publishing practice is a matter of public interest as it has a negative impact on society and, ultimately, we all pay the price. It was a fantastic article which raised the issue beyond … Continue reading BBC News Online Feature : A Response to publishers