ACTS and Related Textbook Organizations
National Association of State Textbook Administrators (NASTA)
NASTA members are the textbook managers in adoption states and are responsible
for the administration of their state's textbook/instructional materials
program. The NASTA website has links to each state instructional materials
website, as well as reports from their members regarding current and
future textbook adoptions.
www.nasta.org
Advisory Commisstion on Textbook Specifications (ACTS)
Participating associations in ACTS include the National Association of State Textbook Administrators (NASTA), the Association of American Publishers (AAP=) and the Book Manufacturers' Inctitute (BMI). The purpose of the Commission (from the BYLAWS, Article XI, SECTION 1) is: "to conduct studies and research programs and tests to determine durability and other pertinent performance factors of elementary and high school instructional materials, which may include textbooks, related educational materials in bound, unbound, kit or package form, technology based materials which include, but are not limited to, software programs, video discs, compact discs, optical discs, video and audio tapes, lesson plans and databases; and to develop and recommend to the ACTS Committee of the NASTA, standards and specifications on manufacturing processes and materials for such iinstructional materials, and supplements or amendments thereto, where applicable, in order to maintain appropriate standards of quality and performance. The specifications are etntitled Manufacturing Standards and Specifications for Textbooks (MSST) and are published by NASTA"
The Manufacturaing Standards and Specifications for Textbooks (MSST)
The Manufacturing Standards and Specifications for Textbooks (MSST) are standards and specifications and are intended as a guide to aid the manufacturer, the publisher, the textbook administrator, and the general public. The purpose of the MSST is to maintain appropriate physical standards of quality and performance for elementary and high school textbooks. To purchase a copy of the MSST, please complete this form or mail request to: The ACTS Administrative Office, Two Armand Beach Dr., Suite 1B, Palm Coast, FL 32137
Textbook Durability: Understanding and Applying MSST (NASTA) Specifications (Power Point) Presented on July 25, 2005 at the NASTA meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi by Bruce Smith, Book Manufacturer's Institute (BMI) Executive Director, Steve Figi, BMI Manufacturing & Standards Committee Chair, and Robert "Woody" Duncan, ACTS Technical Director ACTS Meeting Biloxi (PDF)
Book Manufacturer's Institute (BMI)
BMI membership is comprised of companies that produce the great majority of books ordered by the U.S. book publishing industry.
State Textbook Depositories
Approximately 15 states require publishers of state-adopted instructional materaisl to use a central in-state depository or to ship state-adopted materials from within the state. Those states are: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia. In some states publishers may ship directly to schools from their own in-state warehouse, without going through a central depository. There are 35 states which do not regulate how or where publishers maintain inventories or initiate shipments.
Depositories charge publishers a commission, typically about 8% of sales.
A list of state depositors can be found at www.bmibook.com/html/4_set.html