The City College Bookstore wants to assist students with the cost of textbooks by buying back more books and in doing so, providing more used texts each semester.

Students on campus expressed concern with the current situation and welcome any change.

“The price of textbooks is ridiculous,” said City College student Andrea Grandos.

Grandos spent over $400 on textbooks this Fall semester. Only one of them was a used book. And when she tried to sell her texts back last semester, she said the bookstore only bought one of them.

At least once a year college textbook publishers release new editions, which usually cost students more money than the prior edition, Bookstore Director John Lorelli said. Students said this makes it very difficult to sell their books back.

“Only one-third of the students sell their books back,” Lorelli said. He added that this new plan would increase the number of books returned because students would have incentive to sell.

Lorelli said that over 4,000 college bookstores around the country compete for books.

“College text publishers are in competition with used book dealers because a used book means they don’t sell a book,” he said “And they are in business to make money. So they change the text as often as possible.”

Student Senator Keith Russel was trusted with spearheading a senate committee to look into the matter.

“I noticed that each semester students are paying higher prices for basically the same book,” Russel said.

At the Associated Students Senate meeting Friday, Lorelli said the changes between editions are usually the chronology of information or placement of graphics or pictures in the text.

Teachers often have to use two editions because their syllabi correspond to older versions according to Lorelli. He anticipates most teachers won’t object to teaching past editions of the text.

He said he will continue to work on the problem.

“As students dealing with the cost of textbooks, you have no better friends than the people who work here,” Lorelli said.