WASHINGTON APPLES: The days of the $200 O-Chem textbook may be over, at least in the state of Washington. The Open Course Library has unveiled phase one of its project, a collection of textbooks, notes, readings, and other class materials for 42 of the state's highest-enrolled community college courses. Materials for these courses are free, digital, and shareable (through a Creative Commons Attribution-only license), and any required hard copies are capped at $30 per student. Student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Group) textbook advocate Nicole Allen estimates these lucky students will save $1.26 million. Money still isn't growing on trees, but this is a right step in helping students keep more moolah in their pockets.
