Rafter is a suite of tools aimed at lowering textbook costs by targeting each particular part of the textbook lifecycle from faculty adoption to bookstore buyback. Rafter offers data to help faculty members choose sustainable textbooks, offers a competitive rental and buyback program to students, and helps bookstores connect to one another and to vendors to help source rentals and purchases.
The result of all this disruption is sustainable bookstores, lower costs for students, and a platform to make mindful adoption decisions for faculty members. Rafter has worked with campuses like North Carolina State University, which saw an increase in student savings through rental programs along with an increase in bookstore traffic. The politics of scholarly publishing and educational purchasing are still changing quickly, but Rafter seems like a good solution for bookstores trying to edge out the online market and universities trying to lower costs for students.
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