Provost's Update
Posted April 27, 2020
April 27, 2020
Dear Colleagues, I hope that you were able to find some time over the weekend for rest and relaxation. Today's email addresses questions regarding summer textbooks. Let me know if you have any questions. Please take care and thanks for all that you are doing.
What will happen with textbooks this Summer?
Elza and I have been working with leaders in Student Affairs, specifically in Textbook Service, to address textbook rental for Summer. I sincerely appreciate their partnership and the tremendous work they have done to support our transition to remote learning. Furthermore, they have been spending a great deal of effort, working hard and creatively to find the digital course materials our students need. (When they relayed the complexity of finding some titles, I was surprised and even more grateful.). Below are some key points I want to share with you (with the support of Scott Kane and Kelly Jo Karnes).
As we began to transition to more remote and online learning, Textbook Service immediately began working with our digital partner, particularly Redshelf, to provide e-book options for all books that were requested by faculty for summer. In the vast majority of cases, they were able to find the electronic versions of the text requested. In some cases, they worked with faculty to switch to another edition of the same textbook. In the vast majority of cases, we will have an e-book and a physical textbook available, should a student prefer the latter. The e-books can be made available via Blackboard.
Please know that if you are requiring a physical textbook for Summer 2020, particularly any class that begins before July 5, students will have to pay to have the book mailed to them. If this is true for students in your classes, please make sure they are aware that they will need to reach out to Textbook Service to make arrangements. Students will need to complete the "off campus order form" on the Textbook Service site at https://www.siue.edu/textbook/
