(no subject)

[alexseanchai]

Is this an appropriate place to rant about college textbook prices? Particularly when the textbooks are (1) rented (2) ebooks (3) that I already have in dead-tree format?

That's $180 I have no choice but to put on the credit card I just paid $300 to. So much for paying off that card on payday next. (Which happens to be my birthday. Happy fucking birthday, Ellie.)

Comments

[alexseanchai]

I don't think 'scan it myself' would get me access to the online content. Also I'm not sure that's legal.

[elf]

As far as we (ebook fanatics) have been able to figure out, "scan it yourself" is legal for personal use in the US; it's format-shifting, like copying a CD to MP3. (In the UK, it's definitely not legal; copying for personal use is limited to a specific percentage of the original.)

"Scan it yourself" won't get you access to specific online content; it'd just be a digital copy suitable for searching & copy/paste. And there's a special place in hell for professors & publishers who think everyone attending college should use specific online resources tied to DRM, because most of them aren't accessible to a lot of people with disabilities, and when they are, they're several times more hassle than they need to be.

I'm sorry you got stuck with extra fees :(