By Sara Berry

Starting this fall the CCSU bookstore, run by Barnes & Noble, will offer students the option of renting textbooks rather than buying them.

Students traditionally saved money on textbooks by selling them back at the end of the semester. But now, says bookstore manager Jack O’Leary, “students can save money up front.” Students who opt to rent their textbooks may save as much as 60 percent as opposed to buying a new copy of a printed text. For example, O’Leary offers one instance of a book that costs $100 new but $45 to rent for the semester. Students may rent new or used books for the same rental fee. Rental books may be used in the same manner as a purchased textbook that could be sold back as it can be highlighted and written in, and then returned.

Textbooks may be rented at any time throughout the semester, or prior to the beginning of the semester, and are to be returned by December 27. The bookstore will send students five emails to remind them to return their rented book. If the student fails to return the book, or the book is not in acceptable condition, they simply owe the bookstore the difference between the rental price and the purchase price. “It’s no different than Blockbuster,” O’Leary said. And, if you end up with the wrong book, you can return it to the bookstore and exchange it for the right one, and pay just the difference in rental fees.

So far, students at CCSU seem to like the textbook rental option. According to O’Leary 20 percent of students typically buy their books before classes start. This semester, O’Leary said that 40 percent of students have bought their books prior to the first day of class. As of the first day of classes, O’Leary says that 3,000 online orders have been placed for rented textbooks. The affordability of rental textbooks and the fact that students are getting their books before going to class is likely to improve student academic success.

Of course, students may still purchase both new and used books. O’Leary says 60 percent of the textbooks carried by the CCSU Bookstore are used. Used books clearly save money for both the person selling them to the bookstore and buying them from the bookstore, but also contribute to sustainability by reducing the number of new textbooks that are being produced as well as the number of old textbooks that are being discarded.

In addition to the print textbook options, the bookstore also offers digital textbooks. There are currently 700 titles available for download. Students who enjoy interactive media may prefer e-books, where, for example, in a history book, a student can click on Abraham Lincoln and hear the Gettysburg Address, said O’Leary.

Students may order rental textbooks, as well as e-books and new and used print books for purchase, online at the bookstore’s website or get them at the bookstore.