2008 Woodie Awards
Hitting the books
As the summer semester winds down, Textbook Services prepares for the fall textbook rush
Sydney Elliot
Issue date: 7/30/08 Section: News
After the bids, leftover books initially go on the $1 book sale, but once students have had a chance to purchase them, letters are sent to schools and organizations informing them of books they can have on a "first come, first serve" basis while the leftovers are donated or sent overseas. Elmore said books are never put into a landfill.
Keck said renting books is a good thing because students do not have to spend so much money on buying books.
"You just have to look at the fees," Keck said. "Sometimes you are spending all that money on books, and you want to keep them. It's just a personal thing for some people."
The number of unreturned books has been as high as nearly 5,000, according to Elmore, but last spring about 65,000 textbooks were rented and only 1,200 were not returned at the end of the semester.
"That's the least amount of books not returned (in 14 years) I've been here," Elmore said.
Elmore said the books go unreturned because students want to keep them but cannot afford to pay for them immediately, so they just keep the book and allow the charges be placed on the student's account.
Students who wish to purchase textbooks may do so at any time during the semester, but students will receive the best deals on used textbooks the last three weeks of the term when they go on sale.
The sale price of a textbook can be discounted anywhere between 20 percent and 40 percent depending on how old the book is.
Textbook non-return rates have decreased over the last several years. Elmore said it is because Textbook Services has increased the amount of their advertising.
"Two e-mails went out, all the Pepsi banner signs, we put 300 table toppers in dining services, we contacted Kimmel and they sent something out … we contacted all the dorms and put signs up," Elmore said. "I tell students, if you are leaving campus you need to ask yourself if you returned your books."
Junior mechanical engineering major Gerad Boyer of Mattoon said he likes the ability to rent textbooks, though it is sometimes hard to make it on time if he doesn't get out of work early enough. Boyer said the ability to rent books was more convenient and economic, though he learned the hard way the importance of turning books in on time.
Keck said renting books is a good thing because students do not have to spend so much money on buying books.
"You just have to look at the fees," Keck said. "Sometimes you are spending all that money on books, and you want to keep them. It's just a personal thing for some people."
The number of unreturned books has been as high as nearly 5,000, according to Elmore, but last spring about 65,000 textbooks were rented and only 1,200 were not returned at the end of the semester.
"That's the least amount of books not returned (in 14 years) I've been here," Elmore said.
Elmore said the books go unreturned because students want to keep them but cannot afford to pay for them immediately, so they just keep the book and allow the charges be placed on the student's account.
Students who wish to purchase textbooks may do so at any time during the semester, but students will receive the best deals on used textbooks the last three weeks of the term when they go on sale.
The sale price of a textbook can be discounted anywhere between 20 percent and 40 percent depending on how old the book is.
Textbook non-return rates have decreased over the last several years. Elmore said it is because Textbook Services has increased the amount of their advertising.
"Two e-mails went out, all the Pepsi banner signs, we put 300 table toppers in dining services, we contacted Kimmel and they sent something out … we contacted all the dorms and put signs up," Elmore said. "I tell students, if you are leaving campus you need to ask yourself if you returned your books."
Junior mechanical engineering major Gerad Boyer of Mattoon said he likes the ability to rent textbooks, though it is sometimes hard to make it on time if he doesn't get out of work early enough. Boyer said the ability to rent books was more convenient and economic, though he learned the hard way the importance of turning books in on time.
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