More and more textbook rental services are popping up. BookSwim and BooksFree are two new examples for subscription based book rentals. Subscription book rental work much like a monthly magazine subscription but you can change the magazine at the end of a semester. That means you could easily switch your History 1 for History 2, after the fall semester ends and spring semester ends.
Chegg and BookRenter are true book renters. These last two will also donate on behalf of the renter to a favored charity. Some book renters tout that they are cheaper, socially responsible and eco-friendly.
Amazon is offering a special program for anyone with a .edu email address. The offer allows subscribers to order books with free two day shipping so a student order books after a schedule is set. Always check prices at Half.com and Barnes and Noble.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 goes into effect this year. So in theory textbook prices will become cheaper. In compliance the AC Bookstore allows the student to view by ISBN or search by course number. Very helpful, until the site shows you that there are no new or used books available for the class you are looking at taking.
It would be great if there was a way for a student to use financial aid money online and just show the receipt/invoices of purchased books. If you are dependent upon financial aid to buy books you have to use the bookstore. In the past I have saved my money to buy books before the semester begins then reimburse myself once my financial aid comes in. I always watch the kiosk boards looking at what fellow students are offering their own books at discounted prices.
What I would like to see is a student coop or union buy books with students and alumni. Alumni could also help fund such an endeavor. The Student Book coop would rent the books back to students. An e-community would probably work best. Of course educators would have to cooperate and stop requiring new editions every few years or so.
This would really work for students and colleges because the money students spend on books would go back to students, instead of some antiquated publishers who have yet to cross the digital divide of online books. We all know the reason there is a new Intermediate Algebra edition every few years is to profit the publishers. Not because there is new information on linear mathematics.
It is very frustrating to lug around a six pound book, costing $150, that a teacher is only going to use 50 pages or so and assign only the odd number problems.
My Oceanography kit was only good for the Fall/Spring and Summer of 2009/2010 semesters. It will get axed for a whole new kit. Reselling that edition just will not work either. This seems to happen to many of the classes that have a whole kit of books and lab supplies.
So what are your textbook buying techniques? Do you rent, buy or borrow? Do you buy the new book and buy the expired cans of soup, instead?
Chegg and BookRenter are true book renters. These last two will also donate on behalf of the renter to a favored charity. Some book renters tout that they are cheaper, socially responsible and eco-friendly.
Amazon is offering a special program for anyone with a .edu email address. The offer allows subscribers to order books with free two day shipping so a student order books after a schedule is set. Always check prices at Half.com and Barnes and Noble.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 goes into effect this year. So in theory textbook prices will become cheaper. In compliance the AC Bookstore allows the student to view by ISBN or search by course number. Very helpful, until the site shows you that there are no new or used books available for the class you are looking at taking.
It would be great if there was a way for a student to use financial aid money online and just show the receipt/invoices of purchased books. If you are dependent upon financial aid to buy books you have to use the bookstore. In the past I have saved my money to buy books before the semester begins then reimburse myself once my financial aid comes in. I always watch the kiosk boards looking at what fellow students are offering their own books at discounted prices.
What I would like to see is a student coop or union buy books with students and alumni. Alumni could also help fund such an endeavor. The Student Book coop would rent the books back to students. An e-community would probably work best. Of course educators would have to cooperate and stop requiring new editions every few years or so.
This would really work for students and colleges because the money students spend on books would go back to students, instead of some antiquated publishers who have yet to cross the digital divide of online books. We all know the reason there is a new Intermediate Algebra edition every few years is to profit the publishers. Not because there is new information on linear mathematics.
It is very frustrating to lug around a six pound book, costing $150, that a teacher is only going to use 50 pages or so and assign only the odd number problems.
My Oceanography kit was only good for the Fall/Spring and Summer of 2009/2010 semesters. It will get axed for a whole new kit. Reselling that edition just will not work either. This seems to happen to many of the classes that have a whole kit of books and lab supplies.
So what are your textbook buying techniques? Do you rent, buy or borrow? Do you buy the new book and buy the expired cans of soup, instead?
In the Speech Department, we have worked with publishers to create a custom book that is cheaper by eliminating color and including only the chapters we need. This cut the cost in half. The other good thing about Speech is that we can continue using the same book so used books are always available at a lower price. In other fields, rapid changes require moving to new editions.
What do you think about electronic books or books that are available for the Kindle or iPad?
Lower-income students may qualify for a program that lets them borrow textbooks from the AC Library. Check with Adult Student Services to learn more. I have borrowed almost every book I have needed, and a graphing calculator as well. I did have to buy some software and access codes for a couple of classes. (If I had bought new textbooks, the access codes would have been included, but I still saved money by getting the books on loan from the library.)
I too have used the library to get books. I also borrowed the graphing calculator from Adult Student Services.
I will write a blog post about the Adult Student Services. I also will talk about the Kindle or iPad. I am looking at getting one of these technologies for my college career. I will get to my researching.
The astronomical cost of textbooks has been an ever increasing expense that comes with higher education for some time now. To me the most frustrating part is when the local bookstore touts their own "buy-back" service that offers the seller next to nothing for a book that is only months old and in great shape only to turn around and sell it for a "better than new" price that is considerably more than what they gave the seller.
Another issue for me is that you are basically stuck with these books if you choose not to get screwed by the bookstore. Sure you can try selling the books to other students through bulletins, amazon, or some others, but if not you are stuck with it. The required texts change so frequently that if you cannot sell it immediately, you have notheing more than a stack of dead tree to put away somewhere.
I think the electronic replacements will be great. I have used some in the past that had to be viewed on a desktop or laptop. This is great for saving money and the environment.
I look forward to the day when a student can carry one mobile electronic device that will be all of his or her textbooks as well as a way to access and store other "e" materials.
Another thought for your consideration...
Wouldn't it be great if your enrollment gained you access to a server/database where the text you need is readily available at your digital fingertips? Your enrollment could come with access to all the data you need to complete the classes you are enrolled in. If the college could provide such a service, it would save students a great deal of money, time and energy by being part of an all-inclusive package. I would love to see this become the order of the day for colleges and universities nationwide. I am not computer savvy enough to launch this idea, but someone should do it. I will be waiting for some sort of financial compensation for my ingenious idea... :D
I understand everyone concern about the high prices of textbooks and while I agree how e-books would save envirnment and money, I would not be able to use those kinds of books. It hurts my eyes incredibly to stare at a computer screen for too long. They would have to make sure regular books are available for those who are willing to pay the price.
I have to agree with another comment about the buyback service. One year, I took a book during buyback time and they offered me $2.00 for a book I easily paid $175 brand new a few months before.
I was told when I questioned the amount that it's because they were phasing out that book and it would not be used the next semester. Yet, next fall, there I was in the book store seeing a stack of 'used' books selling for a very high price. Same book that they offered me only $2.00. Very disappointed and since then made it a point to find my books elsewhere.
There have been many books that some instructors have only briefly touched and it has made me grateful that I have been borrowing my books since that fateful buyback day.
Chegg.com is a great place to rent text books. I think there prices are fair and the rental period is automatically for a whole semester, but overall text books should not be that high anyways.