Renting textbooks becomes a growing trend

Created by Libby Levi for opensoure.com, Creative Commons

By Tim Awojobi

 

College students around the nation spend hundreds of dollars each semester on books for classes.  And yet many students have complained that majority of the time, the professor either doesn’t use the textbook, or the textbook is only used on certain special occasions.

“I feel like buying textbooks is a huge investment and money-making business for colleges around the nation,” said Jason Kartock, a student at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. “I’m literally broke at the beginning of every semester.”

According to The Federal Higher Education Opportunity Act, college textbook prices have risen at nearly four times the rate of inflation since 1994. The average college student spends about $900 a year on textbooks alone..

But with the advent of e-books, e-readers and tablets, less expensvie textbooks have also become available. You are now able to purchase or rent a textbook downloaded from the Internet at a lower and reduced price than actually purchasing the book in a store.

“A student can literally save up to 50 percent off the normal price of a new textbook sold in bookstores,” explained a customer service worker at Barnes and Noble.

According to a new survey conducted by Barnes & Noble, an increasing number of students are renting books. Many students may need the book just for a specific time, rather than permanently buying the book.

Waliu Saba, biology student at Kean University, complained that often professors don’t use the expensive textbooks.

“Nowadays, I don’t even think twice about buying a textbook,” he said. “If I really need it for a specific class, I will either share with another classmate, or rent. Last semester, I saved about $300 when I rented my textbooks.”

Renting textbooks and materials have not only become the new “money-saver,” it’s also became a trend for many students as well as faculty members of colleges around the nation.