Why Textbooks Should Be Free All institutions, whether attending a college, community, or even a technical college, require the student to purchase a textbook text to be successful in the lesson. Some textbooks are not even open for the entire semester, and the information and statistics may be out of date and greatly affect your overall knowledge on certain topics. Additionally, free textbooks can improve the quality of education by teachers and ensure greater accessibility for working students. While councils and governments cannot approve free textbooks, policies such as Open Textbook, library rental, and affordable textbook laws should be offered nationwide. As a seasoned freshman surviving their first year of college, textbooks should be purchased for free from institutions across the country. College is a time when people will get a small taste of the profession they want to pursue. Whether you are majoring in engineering or pursuing a certificate, classes to complete the course must have a textbook. At the pace of advanced technology, textbooks can be easily accessed via the Internet without having to carry a book with you when choosing the “perfect time to study”. With this luxury, students can do homework at any time of the day without the necessary physical materials beyond a phone or laptop. In conclusion, providing free textbooks can help students financially who would also have to pay for daily expenses. If universities are going to provide education at a high price, the quality of teaching should not be based on a book but rather on their own teaching methods. Allie Bidwell, staff writer at usnews.com, says, “in a survey of more than 2,000 college students over 33 years… mid-paper… a book for the course. As a result, publishers continue to dominate the market by making their product the only product to succeed in the classroom. In conclusion, America offers many ways to help reduce the cost of college textbooks, but society is still not satisfied with the result. The Open Textbook, the Affordable Textbook Act, and library rental are wonderful programs, but they have their drawbacks that will hopefully be resolved in the 2016 presidential election. Statistics show that many students across the nation benefit from learning with the quality of teaching, the amount of accessibility it offers without having to worry about paying off student loans. School administrations should consider moving to an act that would benefit both the school and students, but would also ensure greater equality for publishers and students.