Elon’s Campus Shop has launched a textbook rental program that can save students and their families more than 50 percent over a new book purchase. Nearly a third of all titles in the bookstore will be available for rent during the fall 2010 semester – and, yes, students can feel free to highlight passages and write in the margins.
About 180 textbook titles are available for the upcoming semester, said Kathy Scarborough, who manages the shop for Barnes & Noble. Rental quantities are limited. Students are encouraged to reserve their rental books.
Ten percent of all orders processed by the Campus Shop for the fall semester included at least one book rental. The shop started its rental program after noticing a growing number of students were relying on outside vendors to rent their books.
“We’re just making it easier,” Scarborough said. “They don’t have to wait for the book to arrive from whatever source, and they’ll be able to physically see the book they want to rent.”
Students or their parents must present a credit card at the time of rental. The credit card account number is needed should the book not be in good condition upon its return or if they fail to bring it back. Email reminders will be sent at the end of the semester reminding renters of their responsibilities.
Scarborough offered another observation for those looking to save money off new book prices: In some instances, it is less expensive to buy a used textbook than to rent the same title.
How? Depending on the price of the used textbook, should a student wish to sell it back to the bookstore, the money he or she receives would make the ultimate cost a few dollars less than the rental price.
Scarborough cautioned that students must be aware of three things. First, the professor must have already committed to the Campus Shop that he or she would be using the same book the next semester. Second, the book must be in good enough condition for resale. Third, the Campus Shop must not have an overstock of the title.
“It’s not a guarantee, but your used book could still be the cheaper option,” she said.
Students can check their schedules through OnTrack to see what is available now for preorder. For full details of the textbook rental program, see the Campus Shop Web site at http://elon.bncollege.com/