USED BOOKS
New textbooks are generally quite expensive. Faculty assistance is requested in helping to reduce the costs our students must pay for the teaching materials required for their classes.
The most practical way to reduce students' cost of textbooks is to have a larger quantity of used books available for them. In order to have larger quantities of used books, it is essential that textbook requisitions be received by the deadlines – allowing the bookstore to purchase as many used books as possible from both students and wholesalers (before other colleges purchase them ahead of our University). The bookstore will not buy back lab manuals or other write-in books or manuals unless they are clean and unused by the student.
Faculty can also help reduce students' costs by using the same textbook for several terms; this can save students up to 75 percent!
Another way faculty can help reduce costs for their students is to not require textbook "packages" unless all components of the package are essential for meeting the goals of the course (packages typically include a new book, study guide, a CD, and/or other supplementary materials). For example, one package that was required for a single course in Fall 2004 (new textbook, study guide, and a data CD) cost just under $200, whereas a used copy of the textbook alone cost only $70.
For the sake of our students, faculty members are urged to check the retail price of the textbooks they plan to adopt as required course material, and to take the price into account when making their final selection. (Of course, price should never be the primary consideration – but your students will appreciate you taking it into account!)