Editorial:
Textbook rental positive for students
Published Nov. 13, 2009
Textbooks could be significantly cheaper next semester for students in certain chemistry or agricultural economics classes. University Bookstore is piloting a new textbook rental program in three courses.
Students would be able to rent textbooks from the bookstore for a semester rather than having to buy a new book and sell it back for a fraction of the price.
Although there are only three classes involved in the pilot program, it could be expanded to include other classes in later years. The pilot program will last for five semesters, though we hope they will expand it before then.
The program will apply to Agricultural Economics 3224, Chemistry 1100 and 1310, 1320, 1330 — a continuation course.
Approximately 875 students over five semesters will take Chem 1100 and save an estimated $68,750, according to Student Auxiliary Services spokeswoman Michelle Froese. The cost of a new textbook for a class is $147, but students will be able to rent it for $57.
Missouri University of Science and Technology established a rental program in fall 2007. Over the next three semesters, students saved more than $92,000. Throughout the program, 989 students participated, meaning the average student saved $93 per semester. That makes a huge difference in the long run.
When many students are graduating thanks to thousands of dollars in student loans, being able to set aside money for savings rather than having to buy a textbook you might rarely use can make a big impact. Textbooks are ridiculously expensive, so students need all the help they can get when it comes to buying books.
These rental textbooks would cost around one-third of the price of a new textbook, which would be a huge help.
That the textbook rental program only really benefits students and doesn't profit the university reflects very positively on MU. It's obvious the plan was put into place with the primary objective of helping students.
We encourage the bookstore to really promote this program and make sure all students applicable for the textbook rentals are aware of it. Unlike the rebate program the bookstore runs, marketing should be widespread.
Once again, we'd encourage the bookstore not to wait until the end of the pilot program to start expanding it. If after two or three semesters it appears to be working, start gradually expanding it. We've seen it work well at Missouri S&T. Please do students a favor and give it the chance it deserves to grow and flourish.
4:10 p.m., Dec. 4, 2009
J. Scott Allen said:
I like the idea of renting, but sometimes I like to keep certain books from classes I really enjoyed. I understand that the main draw to renting is the price, but they actually aren't always cheaper, and that coupled with the fact that I like to keep some of them often leads me to purchase mine. However, whether renting or purchasing, I use http:://www.bigwords.com to combat the high prices. They are a textbook search engine that searches all the online retailers and rental sites to find you the best prices. And for books you purchased you can even use them at the end of the semester to search for resellers to sell you books back to. It's pretty cool.