Issue #20                                                                                                                                    December 2005

Related Articles

Faculty Email Director

Online Bookstores
Books That Matter, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, eFollet, Varsity Books, Best Buy Books, Big Words, and Textbook Hound.

"Textbooks are updated all too frequently.  However, sometimes the change from one text to another is as minute as a few words."

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Textbook Tips

The Spring semester is right around the corner and it is not too early to start looking for text books.  Your student should already have their class schedule.  Now, you can provide them with these tips to be a savvy shopper and save you some money. 

1. Get to the Bookworm early or shop online. The earlier you shop, the better selection of used books, which are much cheaper.
2. The Bookworm should have a list of necessary books for your student’s registered classes. However, if not, your student can contact the professor for the required texts. Here is a link to the faculty email directory.
3. There is also the ‘Books that Matter’ tent set up in the Sub Station parking lot at the beginning of the semester.  Your student can visit them online at www.booksthatmatter.com.
4. Your student may buy online through other companies as well.  Be careful and make sure they are completely sure that the book they are purchasing is the book they need.  Shopping by ISBN number is the best way to ensure you are getting the right textbook.   There are shipping charges involved and it may be difficult to return if there is an error or your student changes classes later.  However, if the proper research is done, this can save a lot of money.  Here are a list of some alternate text book sites: Amazon www.amazon.com; Barnes and Noble www.bn.com; eFollet www.efollet.com; and Varsity Books www.varsitybooks.com; Best Buy Books www.bestbuybooks.com; Big Words www.bigwords.com; and Textbook Hound www.textbookhound.com.
5. Have your student inquire among other students about the textbooks.  Many students have textbooks to sell.  Also, students often hang flyers on bulletin boards in many of the academic buildings advertising the sale of books at the end and beginning of semesters.
6. If your student knows that they will not need their fall semester textbooks in the future….sell them!  The more money you can get from those books, the more money can be reinvested in the spring semester.
7. Textbooks are updated all too frequently.  However, sometimes the change from one text to another is as minute as a few words.  It may be possible to use an older version of a textbook and have no problem with succeeding in the class.  Have your student check with the professor to see if this is a possiblity.  Also, make sure that the student understands they will be responsible for the content in the newer book, even if they don’t have it.  This strategy can save a lot of money.

Now you have a few tips on how to save a little money on college textbooks.  Pass them along to your student and see what they do with the information.