How To Lower Your Cost Of Textbooks

For cheaper college textbooks...I'd walk a mile.

Less expensive textbooks for your college classes exist. To find them is a process of outlining and prioritizing resources. This task will require diligence as well as patience. And some moxie.

The staff at the LBCC Bookstore are always cheery and helpful. LBCC students can appreciate the convenience of on-site textbooks. Business Administration student Dana Wikner said "I bought 2 used textbooks and rented another, saving money instead of paying retail." Wikner added that he would have rented all three if they would have been available. But some just cannot afford the prices, even non-retail options. Some students have to find other avenues for access to textbooks.

The key here is to be assertive. Just by Googling(is that even a word?), we find two used bookstores in the area. Fine, I didn't search, I just know that No Garbage Books downtown is close-by, and about one mile from my house is Browsers. But the best has been Jan's Books in Lebanon. That bookstore has been entirely adept at finding books for myself. And finding those books at great prices.

Jan's Books / David's Sports Cards 678 Main St. in downtown Lebanon.

In fact, owner Jan Kern can get just about anything in the way of books. Often at the best price available, here or on the web. Ordering books, if it is not on the shelves, involves shipping- and that can be up to 10 days sometimes. The customer service at Jan's Books is 2nd-to-none, and the thoroughness at which the best books and prices are chosen, is impressive. Kern's network of book clubs, retailers and sellers, and personal contacts make for a pleasant and efficient transaction. Yes, most of the sales at the downtown Lebanon bookstore are for standard bookstore fare, paperback fiction and the latest best-seller. But college textbooks are accessible via Jan's search prowess and awesome prices. "We can find the best option," said Kern.

Be prepared for delays in shipping, older editions, and material differences by utilizing student resources. The Learning Center at LBCC offers a basketful of helpful resources and personnel. The Computer Lab has desktop and printer access. The Math Lab has tutors and textbooks. The Writing Center has tutors, textbooks, MLA handbooks, proofreading, and workshop style tutoring. Use these valuable resources.

Link to the LBCC Library Home Page.

The most important resource may be the campus library where the staff is extremely helpful. Most textbooks are available for the resourceful student, from 2 hour checkouts to 2 day checkouts. Some older textbooks have been "shelved", library lingo for an outdated edition that is available for the standard 3 week checkout. Most of the time, similar titles have very similar content. Outdated editions for say, Political Science, do not change much. The library also has copiers for printing pages of textbooks.

Fellow students, study groups, and labs may also be good opportunities to access valuable textbook information. Being able to organize a study group is of enormous importance. The value of a good study group is immeasurable. Oregon State University has a student website called Beaversnest, which also has a classified section for textbooks.

The two public libraries in Albany may also have some textbooks. Especially in cases where textbooks consist of paperback novels like Edna Buchanan's The Corpse Had A Familiar Face and American classics such as Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.

Amazon and Ebay. With today's instant worldwide connectivity, one can order textbooks online relatively inexpensively and conveniently. Fermentation Science Major Katie Clennan told me "I bought all 3 of my books on Amazon for less than $20 each and got free shipping." But shipping is not a certainty for time... The web has a number of outlets for textbooks, and of course Facebook has pages for textbook relief. The age of social networking is upon us, and the future should bring better coordination to the "textbook club", and an awareness about textbook resources.

As we race into the future, gadgets are everywhere. Devices like the Kindle, Sony E Reader, and the Nook, are bringing books together with technology.

Generally speaking, having a textbook at your disposal at all times is the essence of convenience. But the thrifty student has a grocery cart of options to be successful at college, without paying retail prices for textbooks. Use those sources to lower your learning costs, and enhance your education.