Spotlight
Textbook Travail?
09.21.22
For those of us who work at the Reference desk (fourth-floor public desk), this is not an uncommon phone, email or in-person question around the start of any given semester.
Mostly from college students, but there's the occasional one in high school.
It's a subject that can cause substantial panic.
As a public library, we don't own much in the way of textbooks. The good news, however, is that we can steer you to other places that do.
It's a competitive industry, and textbooks sites can offer a range of options: buy a new or used copy. Or, rent one.
Many students already know, but for those who don't:
- Check if other students at your school own a used copy of the textbook you need.
- Check your school library catalog.
- Rent or buy textbooks for a fee. Companies include: Chegg, amazon and eBay
- If none of the above works, contact your course instructor.
In addition to the three companies in the third bullet above, you might look at:
-- abebooks.com
-- ecampus.com
There's enough going on at the start of a new semester without getting more anxious about tracking down textbooks.