Don’t Pay for Expensive Textbooks, Get Them for Free at the Library!

If you are or have ever been a college student, we’re sure you would agree that the cost of textbooks is obscene. This inflated expense has long plagued students, and with the rising cost of living compounding financial pressures, each new semester brings added stress. 

Fortunately, your campus library might be able to lend you a hand. Many offer free access to textbooks—potentially saving you hundreds each year.

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How to Access Textbooks for Free

The first thing to know? Start early. You’re probably not the only one planning to borrow textbooks, and if you wait too long, your campus library may run out of copies. (Not ideal—but don’t worry, we’ll cover what to do if that happens.) 

Many college libraries, like the one at Evergreen Valley College in California, stock physical textbooks that students can borrow on a first-come, first-served basis. Policies vary by campus, but typically, you’ll either check out the book like a regular library item or reserve it for short-term use within the library.

As soon as you’ve got your syllabi for your classes, take a trip to the campus library and see if the required textbooks are available to check out. Assuming they are, just check them all out using your student ID and you’re good to go!

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What If My Book Isn’t There?

Sometimes, even with the best intentions, things don’t go as planned. Maybe all the available copies of a book have already been checked out, or perhaps your campus library simply didn’t stock the book to begin with. Don’t give up just yet—there’s one more option that can save the day: interlibrary loans (ILLs).

An interlibrary loan allows your college library to borrow a copy of the book from another institution, giving you access to books that aren’t locally available. If your request is accepted, they’ll send it over to your library for a set period of time, allowing you to check it out as normal. 

Note that it’s especially important to get started early in this case, as it takes time for the request to be processed and for the book to be sent over. With a little planning and a quick ILL request, you can save plenty on textbooks in the semesters ahead.

So, before reaching for your digital wallet, check with your library. The resources are there—you just need to know where (and when) to look.

If you’d like to learn more about the resources that libraries offer to college students like you, check out our Academic Libraries feature page today!

Visit www.everylibrary.org to learn more about our work on behalf of libraries. 

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