Students still prefer dead trees over digital

I’ve posted that despite student complaints about cost, eBooks have yet to take off in the market among Minnesota State University students — and that the director of University of Minnesota’s bookstores expects a booming rental business to cut into that market share even more.

Now GalleyCat reports that a recent Book Industry Study Group (BISG) survey, “Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education” indicates that three in four college students indeed prefer print textbooks over digital versions.

The site says 12 percent of those surveyed had purchased eBooks — and those were mainly men pursuing MBAs and those learning online.

Read the rest of the article here.

About the blogger

Alex Friedrich

afriedrich@mpr.org

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.