According to On Campus Research, an arm of the National Association of College Stores, the rising cost of textbooks have many students turning to online publishers or online vendors for their material, while still other students go without required course material. Lending programs from university stores and some larger retailers like Chegg have risen to offset this cost and make college more affordable, though students often find other solutions, such as sharing books, or lending books that they may have kept to other students.
The Students’ Textbook Lending Project is a large-scale and systematic version of lending used books, which was proposed last semester by Joshua Marshal of the Graduate Student Government, and is a collaboration between the MTU Library, the Undergraduate Student Government, and the University Senate.
The project collects used textbooks that students have donated, rather than keeping or re-selling. These books are then made available for free in-library use. There are currently 355 available titles, with an average foot of the books being worth an estimated $1000. “Some of those books are very expensive and totally throw the curve,” said Marshal, referring to an accounting textbook valued at around $350. “Some Humanities and Global Issues books are surprisingly cheap,” he continued.
The project was proposed during the fall semester of last year, at which point an ad-hoc committee was formed by the University Senate. Some library staff are considering requesting funds from the University Senate in the future in order to keep the project sustainable on the long-term though so far the project has cost virtually nothing.
Marshal described the project as “very low cost,” thanks to donated floor-space, labeling and shelving from the library, printing and design costs paid for by Housing, and boxes donated by Dining Services, in addition to the books themselves which were all donated by students. Right now most of the additional tasks and responsibilities have been taken on by Marshal, though the Inter-Residence Housing Council and Intra-Fraternity Council are expected to take up the project in the near future.
The Students’ Textbook Lending Project is located on the first floor of the library near Computer Zone Yellow. All use of the books is free, though students are asked to not take them out of the library and to be considerate of other students by not have a book for more than three hours.
