Bookstore ditching paper
eBooks now available for $35
Kari Pedersen
Staff Writer
Mount Royal University textbooks are going digital.
Students will now have the opportunity to purchase their textbooks using Thuze eTextbooks. The cost of this new option is a much cheaper alternative than previous bookstore options.
The cost of these new eTextbooks is only $35 dollars for students who are interested. The new option gives an alternative to students so they can study anywhere at any time — including on mobile devices.
There are a variety of titles ranging from general education to business to social sciences and education. Each of the specific titles have been vetted and approved by respected academics, and all include mobile reading.

While some us appreciate the feel of a real book, other are going the digital route to cut down high textbook costs. Photo: Hannah Cawsey
The idea behind Thuze is to create user-friendly alternatives for students, so that they can cut down on costs of expensive textbooks. Although this program is still in the pilot stages, student support is key to this program catching on and creating a larger eBook library.
As of now, the elibrary consists of over 100 titles, with new additions coming monthly.
Thuze uses an editorial team of academic professionals to take the information provided by other textbook publishers and revise the manuscripts to produce textbooks that are competitively successful against the existing books.
Each eBook takes approximately a year and a half to complete. During the development process, academic professionals in each discipline review the books to ensure that the learning materials are helpful to students.
Mount Royal students who have heard of the new program are eager to try it out.
Chelsea Smith, a fourth-year Accounting student, is always looking to save money on expensive textbooks.
“I find buying textbooks to be one of my least favorite aspects of starting a new semester — the cost of them is ridiculous,” said Smith.
Smith believes that this program is worth trying and students should definitely support it.
“I obviously haven’t seen the online versions yet, but if they are school-approved I think they are worth a shot. They will save me money and the hassle of carrying around huge textbooks throughout the day.”
The e-textbooks have been adopted by over 20 educational institutions across North America.
The other Alberta institution advancing to the digital age of textbook is the University of Alberta, but the program has been widely adopted across the USA, in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Auburn.
The pilot program is expected to launch this fall and students can view the textbooks through any web browser, on their iPads or other tablets, as well as through any other PDF format. For more information students can visit www.thuze.com and request a catalogue.