It’s important to distinguish between open-source textbooks and e-books, Rubin said. The latter typically is an electronic copy of a textbook available for students to purchase.

“For a number of faculty, they make an assumption that if a book is free then it must be a poor book,” he said. “And that’s not necessarily true. E-books are going to be the wave of the not-too-distant future.”

Rubin is not the only one talking about and experimenting with new e-book technology, which includes open-source books that offer free, customizable online textbooks to students and professors.

Textbook company McGraw-Hill Education recently launched a new online textbook interface called “Create,” which gives professors the ability to produce their own textbooks by choosing content and tailoring course materials to their liking, company spokeswoman Mary Skafidas said.

“Custom publishing isn’t new,” Skafidas said. “The self-service aspect is new. In the past, orders were usually done in person or over the phone. Now, professors can design a book online and get the books delivered within seven to 10 business days.”

With Create, professors also are able to sample their textbook creations an hour after creating them, Skafidas said. Such an option is not common in the textbook industry, she said.

“I think for students, obviously, it’s the cost savings that matter,” she said. “I’ve yet to meet one professor that’s not interested in materials that will help students succeed in a course and being able to customize materials for students and their course is a big benefit for them.”

A summer 2010 study by the Student Public Interest Research Groups, or Student PIRGs, showed students spend about $900 annually on textbooks. The study concluded by using open-source textbooks, students could save up to 80 percent and reduce the cost of books to $184.

However, the study also shows 75 percent of students still prefer print textbooks.

Even so, Rubin said he has received positive feedback from students using his open-source textbook.

“I haven’t seen any disadvantages,” he said.

“For some subjects, it would be helpful (in the future) if the authors updated the material frequently. A conventional textbook is updated every three to five years, but it would be helpful in some of the areas that change minute by minute if they updated some of the cases in these books and put in new examples.”

Although she enjoys print books, psychology sophomore Chelsey Esser said e-books and other electronic options seem like a good idea.

Part of her notion stems from the lightened load e-books offer, as opposed to the weight of several textbooks, she said.

“I think they’re a good idea for a textbook option, especially if they’re cheaper, because what money do college kids have really anyway?” Esser said.