New Faculty Orientation

WHAT IS TAP?

The purpose of the Textbook Affordability Project (TAP) is to promote awareness of textbook affordability issues, and to create solutions that ensure all students have access to course materials that are affordable, up-to-date, and satisfy academic needs. TAP provides informative, effective and active solutions to the rising cost of textbooks, such as electronic textbooks and textbooks on reserve at the library.

The Textbook Affordability Project has these primary components:

1. Our Website

The Textbook Affordability Website features need-to-know information about USF Bookstore adoption deadlines; textbook affordability initiatives, policies, and regulations; and best practices for reducing student costs. Link to USF TAP website below.

USF Textbook Affordability
tap.usf.edu features need-to-know information about USF Bookstore adoption deadlines; textbook affordability initiatives, policies, and regulations; and best practices for reducing student costs.

2. Textbook Recommendation Service

Each semester TAP prepares cost-saving recommendations for faculty members across USF. These recommendations are based off USF Bookstore adoption data from the previous year: for example, Fall 2020 adoptions help to inform TAP when creating Fall 2021 recommendations, as similar courses are often taught Fall-to-Fall and Spring-to-Spring. TAP often recommends adopting digital rather than print formats or refers faculty to access their textbook for free through Ebooks for the Classroom+.

3. Ebooks for the Classroom+ – makes electronic books and textbooks available to students at no cost, with no access limitations. The USF Libraries will purchase electronic versions of currently adopted course materials if they are available in that format, at the request of instructors. Instructor request link below:

Ebooks for the Classroom Request Form
In support of teaching, learning and textbook affordability at USF, the USF Libraries have assembled a collection of ebooks that can be adopted for courses at no cost to students. These titles are either owned or can be purchased by the USF Libraries for use in a course. New ebooks are added as they become available.

4. Open Access Textbooks – Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible to all, without restriction. USF Scholar Commons is a “virtual showcase for USF's research and creative energies” which features USF academic community authored and openly accessible journals, textbooks, collections, theses, and dissertations. Find the link below.

USF Scholar Commons
A “virtual showcase for USF's research and creative energies” which features USF academic community authored and openly accessible journals, textbooks, collections, theses, and dissertations.

5. Textbooks on Reserve – the USF Libraries hold reserves for textbooks and other materials required for students to complete their coursework. These items are either gathered from the USF Libraries collection, on loan from instructors, or are purchased. Links to all course reserve systems below.