Key takeaways:

• Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) offers many ways for SJSU students to access low-cost (and sometimes free) student textbooks and classroom materials.
• Over the 15 years SJSU has had an AL$ program, it has saved students over $15M in textbook costs.
• SJSU faculty and staff are invited to a drop-in mixer to learn more about the program on September 16 from 12-2 p.m at King Library, room 225.

Fall semester at San José State is now in full swing, which means Spartans are navigating classes, part-time jobs, internships, clubs and extracurriculars. One item on all students' to-do lists: getting textbooks or required reading for classes - valuable learning resources that for many are a big financial investment.

That's why San José State's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library offers Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) - a number of ways students can access low-cost educational materials. Research Services and Social Sciences Librarian Essy Barroso-Ramirez, '18 Public Health, '21 MLIS, '27 EdD, and Senior Assistant Librarian Jane Dodge serve as the coordinators of AL$, and were kind enough to answer a few questions about how Spartans can best take advantage of these resources.

What is Affordable Learning Solutions?

Essy Barroso-Ramirez and Jane Dodge: Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) is a mix of initiatives that mandate finding ways to lower costs for student textbooks and classroom materials. SJSU was one of the first CSU campuses to launch the program, thanks to Christina Mune (Associate Dean, University Library), Ann Agee (Emerita Librarian), Christa Bailey (Emerita Librarian) and Associate Librarian Adriana Poo. Lowering the cost of textbooks is more complicated than it sounds! It means working with faculty to see if using or creating free, open education resources can be an alternative to pricey textbooks. It also means making sure zero-cost courses are made visible in the class directory, working with the University Library teams to acquire e-textbooks whenever possible and reaching out to students so they know their options.

What are open educational resources? Why do they matter?

Essy Barroso-Ramirez and Jane Dodge: OER (Open Educational Resources) are educational materials like books, assignments, articles, activities, videos, and art or lab supplies that are free for educational use. Many also come with flexible licenses that allow instructors to remix and adapt them to match their syllabi. The cost of traditional textbooks has increased significantly over the last decade, and prices only continue to climb.

On top of that, many publishers are moving to a direct-to-student model, which bypasses any chance for a library to acquire or license a copy students could use for free. The library has always been a place where students could turn to if they couldn't afford their books; that option is becoming much more rare. OER materials offer a no-cost, accessible alternative that helps make sure all students have the high-quality resources they need to succeed without the concern of purchasing.

How can faculty and students alike benefit from AL$?

Essy Barroso-Ramirez and Jane Dodge: Faculty get a chance to review their recommended and required resources to determine how much it costs students to enroll in their classes, and, if they decide they'd like to find less-expensive options, work with us to find other pedagogical material. Students benefit from not having to spend as much on their materials, not just lowering their spending but their anxiety as well. This video provides the faculty perspective.

How much money (on average) do students spend on textbooks? What kind of stats are available as to how much money (and resources) AL$ saves students?

Essy Barroso-Ramirez and Jane Dodge: The average textbook is $105. Consider how many classes require multiple textbooks and how students have a full-time class load, and that adds up. Through a variety of efforts, over 550 courses last year involved low- or no-cost AL$ solutions. Over the 15 years SJSU has had an AL$ program, it has saved students over $15M in textbook costs. Our predecessors worked with students to document the difficulties around acquiring textbooks in a short video .

What do you hope members of the SJSU community know about AL$?

Essy Barroso-Ramirez and Jane Dodge: We hope to raise awareness of this initiative's presence at SJSU. We hope members of the SJSU community learn about our ability to support student success and try to make higher education as affordable as possible. Although we're new coordinators and are still learning, we are here to support the SJSU community and look forward to the opportunity to collaborate. We would love to hear any suggestions, comments, ideas anyone in our community may have!

What's unique about the AL$ program is it's very grassroots: Each program can explore and apply different options and materials suited to their respective communities. Most of all: We will be offering incentives and awards for instructors to review or adapt low- or no-cost materials. Stay tuned! Faculty and staff can learn more about the AL$ program on Sept. 16.

Please join us for our informal, drop-in mixer on September 16th, 12-2, in King 225 to learn more! Open to all faculty and staff.