Editorial: Saving textbook loan program makes sense for College of Marin

Among the financial hurdles facing college students is the cost of their textbooks.

Over the past decade, College of Marin has had a commonsense answer to that dilemma – a free textbook loan program.

But the successful program faced a hurdle of its own – the space and staff that it needs.

For 11 years it has been run out of the college’s library, but the library is being moved to the Kentfield campus’ new Center for Student Success, a hub of student services and programs, and library staff say there won’t be enough space to accommodate the loan program. The library also has seen a reduction in its staffing and doesn’t have the employees needed to manage the program.

Over the years, the program yearly has loaned out as many as 900 textbooks for free, saving students an estimated $1 million or more.

That’s a sizable financial hurdle that has been removed for those students who need to borrow the textbooks.

That level of participation reflects the need the program is helping meet and its importance to help make sure people are not being priced out of college courses.

Both were front and center at two recent Board of Trustees meetings where student and faculty praised the loan program and protested proposed changes, including their fears that COM leadership’s support for continuing the program is waning.

At last week’s meeting, trustees heard from about 35 students and faculty members. In the wake of those comments, COM President Jonathan Eldridge pledged the program would continue with each department handling the program for the textbooks they assign.

Keeping the program is the right decision. It’s too bad consternation was raised before rescuing it from uncertainty.

Although it seems that the library is functionally best suited to manage the program, having the departments step up is the second-best option. It is likely, however, they may face the same problems of space and staff time that have led the library to step aside from the program.

Some departments have already been addressing this financial challenge by transitioning to online texts and digital materials that help address concerns about cost and space.

Eldridge says COM already has hundreds of courses that don’t require students to buy textbooks and that number is growing.

But there are still enough that there is a need for the program. This has turned into a tempest that required COM’s leadership to resolve and confirm that it is a priority –  a conclusion that given the number of books loaned out to students should be easy to reach.

Dropping the program would be “unconscionable and represents a profound disservice to our students,” says Patrick Kelly, a COM chemistry teacher, who noted the program’s importance to the college’s STEM students, those taking science, technology, engineering and math courses.

This issue has been brewing for several months, since it was raised by library staff.

There has also been criticism that the college’s support for the program has eroded due to books not being returned and poor communication.

The library’s decision to drop it put the matter in a spotlight that raises concern about instructional material being accessible to all students.

It is an issue of equity – one that COM has been committed to improving despite already being lauded as a leader among state educational institutions.

Access to college is the backbone of California’s community college system and making sure students have affordable access to assigned textbooks is vital in meeting that important mission.

“The college is handling the logistics of the textbook loan program differently moving forward, but that will have no impact on students,” Eldridge said.

The decision to retain the program is the right one. The Board of Trustees should ask for a public update on the success of its transition from the library to individual departments and progress that’s being made to make use of possible alternatives to costly textbooks.