California company starts a program to lease books to students on a budget
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: News
(MCT)
FRESNO, Calif. - Most college students get their first hard lesson before setting foot in class: a crash course in economics delivered by the campus bookstore, where textbooks cost hundreds of dollars.
Now, students at California State University, Fresno, can catch a break. Through a new program, at least 80 percent of textbooks at the Kennel Bookstore are available for rent.
Campus officials say students could save as much as 75 percent off the cover price _ a more budget-friendly option for those struggling with college costs.
The partnership between the bookstore and chegg.com, an online textbook rental company, is a sure sign of change within the market. Beyond buying new or used textbooks, today's students can rent textbooks or buy "ebooks" _ electronic versions downloaded to a computer.
Experts say "ebooks" aren't in widespread use; Fresno State offers only about 200 titles. But rental programs are growing online and on campuses.
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, which runs more than 600 college bookstores, last week announced it will expand a pilot rental program to more campuses _ including the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. Follett Higher Education Group, which operates more than 700 bookstores, said it will broaden its rental program to hundreds of campuses for the 2010 academic year.
The process is simple. Students figure out the books they need for the semester, then pick up rentals at the bookstore or place an order through an online company. Those companies ship the books to students, who send them back at the end of the semester.
A spokesman for the National Association of College Stores, which represents more than 3,100 collegiate retailers, said rentals are an emerging trend.
"Students are getting increasingly creative in their purchases of course material," said Charles Schmidt, a spokesman for the association based in Oberlin, Ohio.
"There are more options out there _ and competition."
FRESNO, Calif. - Most college students get their first hard lesson before setting foot in class: a crash course in economics delivered by the campus bookstore, where textbooks cost hundreds of dollars.
Now, students at California State University, Fresno, can catch a break. Through a new program, at least 80 percent of textbooks at the Kennel Bookstore are available for rent.
Campus officials say students could save as much as 75 percent off the cover price _ a more budget-friendly option for those struggling with college costs.
The partnership between the bookstore and chegg.com, an online textbook rental company, is a sure sign of change within the market. Beyond buying new or used textbooks, today's students can rent textbooks or buy "ebooks" _ electronic versions downloaded to a computer.
Experts say "ebooks" aren't in widespread use; Fresno State offers only about 200 titles. But rental programs are growing online and on campuses.
Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, which runs more than 600 college bookstores, last week announced it will expand a pilot rental program to more campuses _ including the College of the Sequoias in Visalia. Follett Higher Education Group, which operates more than 700 bookstores, said it will broaden its rental program to hundreds of campuses for the 2010 academic year.
The process is simple. Students figure out the books they need for the semester, then pick up rentals at the bookstore or place an order through an online company. Those companies ship the books to students, who send them back at the end of the semester.
A spokesman for the National Association of College Stores, which represents more than 3,100 collegiate retailers, said rentals are an emerging trend.
"Students are getting increasingly creative in their purchases of course material," said Charles Schmidt, a spokesman for the association based in Oberlin, Ohio.
"There are more options out there _ and competition."
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