CDL: (Responses) Average cost of books by subject

From: John P. Abbott <AbbottJP_at_appstate.edu>
Date: Tue, 12 Nov 2002 13:34:58 -0500
To: colldv-l_at_usc.edu
Responses follow the original posting:

Original:

From: "George, Mary Ellen" <georgem_at_ohiodominican.edu
Subject: Average Cost of Books

Folks,

         Can someone share with me how to ascertain the cost of books in a 
 specific subject area?  Is there a publication source that offers an 
 annual update on costs of book in a specific subject area?  Thanks for 
 any help you can offer.

Mary Ellen George
Ohio Dominican University
Columbus, OH
georgem_at_ohiodominican.edu


Responses:
+++++++++++

Dear Mary Ellen,
I would be very interested in results you get from this query if you don't mind
sharing. Thanks.
With Warm Regards,
Ann Redfield

Library Manager 
Stanford Linear Accelerator Library
Mail Stop 82
2575 Sand Hill Rd.
Menlo Park, CA 94025-7090

+++++

From: "Janellyn P Kleiner" <jkleiner_at_lsu.edu>

YBP lists an average cost for books in various disciplines.

++++

From:  "Eldonna DeWeese" <edeweese_at_sbuniv.edu>

Check the Bowker Annual or issues of  CHOICE magazine for average 
costs of academic books in various subject areas.

Eldonna DeWeese
Southwest Baptist University Library
1600 University Ave.
Bolivar, MO 65613

++++

From:  Tom Izbicki <izbicki_at_jhu.edu>

Yankee's Trialogue & reports in Against the Grain have been useful to me in 
the past.  Tom Izbicki

++++

From: "Noel, John" <jnoel_at_cumberland.edu>

There's a chapter in the Bowker Annual called "Prices of U.S. and Foreign
Published Materials" (page 459 of the 2001 edition) that lists the average
price of a book by subject. Right now, you can also find a more up-to-date
version of the same information listed in the March 2002 issue of Choice.
(page 1192)

John Noel
Cumberland University

++++

From:  Beth Horn <ehorn_at_Bridgewater.EDU>

We use the data that Choice puts out in the March issue... "U.S. College 
Book Prices". The data in the March 2002 issue was for Jan-Dec 2001, etc. 
The data is by subject area.

++++

From: "Elizabeth D. Hammond" <hammond_bd_at_Mercer.EDU>

I find the annual Book Price study in Choice magazine (usually the March
issue) useful.

One caveat - I believe this reflect hardback prices only.  If you buy
paperback editions, your own average prices will be lower than the
Choice averages.

Beth Hammond
Dean of University Libraries
Mercer University

++++

From:  Ibironke Lawal <ilawal_at_hsc.vcu.edu>

Bowker Annual might help, even though it may be not point to a specific
subject. You can get an idea of cost in a specific subject area, hence the
subject.

Ronke
Received on Tue Nov 12 2002 - 10:35:32 EST