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Abstract
Textbook markets in the United States are not regulated by any governmental agency. Their prices are determined by the free interaction of demand and supply influences. Textbook prices have drastically increased primarily because of increasing concentration of textbook publishing industry through hundreds of acquisitions, resulting in the elimination of price competition. There is an unfair monopoly on how textbooks get distributed. Textbooks should be affordable and accessible to all and should not be a burden on students and their families. College students are already struggling with high cost of tuition and fees which is now more than $1 trillion. An additional high cost of textbooks further increases debt liability on them and their families forcing students to work more hours/jobs or make poor choices that undercut their academic progress. To ensure students use the desired textbooks for their courses, this paper suggests alternative long-term model under which university libraries should increase their role in solving access to textbook problem.