Due to the success of the pilot textbook rental program at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at Lake Michigan College’s Napier Avenue and South Haven campuses during the 2010-2011 school year, the college has announced the expansion of the program to include all available rental titles beginning this fall.
Last fall, the college began the textbook rental program to help students save money. Of the 450 titles available at the Napier Avenue Campus Barnes & Noble bookstore, about one third of the titles were included in the rental program.
“We anticipate savings to students through the rental program to be approximately $281,000 each semester,” said LMC vice president of administrative services and special assistant to the president Anne Erdman. “The partnership with Barnes & Noble assists in offering a high quality education with lower costs.”
According to the National Association of College Stores, students reported spending an average of $667 on required course material in the past 12 months. This figure includes both full-time and part-time students. The average price for a new textbook is $62.
Barnes & Noble corporate communications manager Karen DiScala explained how the rental program compared to other cost saving options offered at the campus bookstore.
“A new, printed textbook priced at $100, when rented would cost approximately $45, a digital version of the book (if available) would cost approximately $40, and a used version of the book would cost $75,” said DiScala.
Students who choose to purchase printed books (new or used) have the option of selling those books back to the bookstore at the end of term. Students can get 50 percent for their textbooks, providing the books will be used for a course taught in the coming term.
The rental program is designed to deliver maximum convenience and flexibility for students. Books can be rented either in the campus bookstore or online from the bookstore’s website, and students can use a variety of payment options to pay their rental fees. Highlighting and moderate note-taking is permitted in rented textbooks and students can keep their rented books until the last day of finals.
To help them remember that the rental term is coming to an end, students receive e-mails alerting them that their rental term is coming to an end.
LMC’s South Haven Campus offers the rental program, offering titles specific to that campus. Bertrand Crossing Campus students can order their books through the bookstore website and the books are delivered to that campus.
The bookstore is open during the summer term Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Reservations for rentals for the fall semester begin Aug. 15.
Contact the bookstore at (269) 927-6713 or online at http://lake-michigan.bncollege.com.