Find the Best Online Universities

October 10th, 2005

With the cost of attending college rising more each year, students across the country are looking for ways to save money without compromising academic excellence. Many are finding cheap solutions in the growing trend of textbook rentals. With a cost savings of roughly 50 percent, students can receive the necessary books for their courses while also saving money.

College bookstores and national chains alike are responding to the growing demand for textbook rentals. Barnes & Noble College Booksellers launched its textbook rental program in Jan. 2010. This pilot program was met with such resounding success that the company recently announced it has already included all of their 637 campus bookstores in the rental program. Also, according to the National Association of College Stores, nearly half of their 3,000 member stores will offer book rental options for students, a number up 500 percent from the previous fall. But place-based bookstores aren’t the only ones cashing in on this money saving trend. Online textbook rentals are cropping us as well, which only makes the process easier for students. Sites like bookrenter.com allow students to search their online database of over 3 million titles, choose the right book and have it shipped to their doorstep the next day. This process is cheaper and easier than going to a physical campus bookstore only to spend twice the amount of money for the same books.

To simplify the process further, some websites and bookstore are offering textbooks available for rent digitally. Students simply have to download that provider’s respective software program, or digital book reader, and pay for the rental per semester. These programs allow students to highlight, make notes, and tag important sections of the e-books. While they’re currently only viewable in traditional computers or laptops, some companies, like Amazon, are working to create rentable e-books that are compatible with mobile devices and e-readers. Another option available to students is open-source textbooks, which have been uploaded online to use for free by all internet users. This trend is popularized by a movement to provide quality education and materials to all students interested in learning, regardless of their ability to pay.

Each of these factors, combined with the society’s growing dependence on technology, might further eliminate the need to have hardcopy, paper books at all. Only time will tell if books become obsolete, or if students still prefer to physically view their books and turn their pages themselves.

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