There are many ways for students to get books for classes, but the best resource depends on how long students plan to have the book. Students need to take time to research their options in order to get the best price.

The University Bookstore and Village Commons Bookstore are the best and easiest places to purchase books, Chegg.com has low rental prices and the NIU library’s I-Share and Interlibrary Loan services are the best for borrowing books. Buying college textbooks is an investment averaging $1,225 for students attending a public four-year university during the academic 2014-15 year, according to College Board. Students should treat getting required books like any other investment by spending time to research the best option.

On-campus bookstores

“Students should try go to the bookstores for books they need to purchase before classes start to find a used copy … most students buy their books rather than rent them,” said Jody Boardman, general manager and buyer at Village Commons Bookstore.

Boardman’s advice means students should be going to get their books as soon as possible because used books tend to sell faster than their new counterparts. Used books are always less expensive than the new copies at the bookstores.

There are two required books for CHEM 110, according to the University Bookstore and Village Commons Bookstore websites. If both of the texts were bought new, a student would spend $229 compared to only $171.75 for used versions of the same books.

It is always a possibility for students to sell their books back to the bookstores or online after the semester is over, but there is not always a guarantee that the stores or websites will be accepting the books back; often students do not receive much in comparison to how much was spent. For example, The Associated Press Stylebook bought new for $20.99 would only receive a max buyback price of $4 according to the ‘Sell Your Books’ feature in the Village Commons Bookstore app.

Founders Memorial Library resources

Students with required course readings rather than textbooks should utilize the university’s I-Share service before deciding to purchase or rent books. I-Share lets students search and borrow a book from either the local Founders Memorial Library catalog or other academic libraries that use I-Share. If the book is available, it can be requested and later picked up at Founders Memorial Library with a OneCard for free. This is a great service, but students should be cautious when deciding to borrow these books from the academic libraries.

“There are not many academic libraries that buy textbooks so it is not always possible to use I-Share to find a textbook. Students should also know the lending periods for I-Share may not always be very long,” said Rosanne Cordell, assistant dean of Public Services at Founders Memorial Library. Students who decide to use this free service should be aware that the books they borrow may not be available for renewal.

The library offers another service called Interlibrary Loan which is a great way to find course readings for a short lending period. These books should also be borrowed when needed in the class because the lending period is not guaranteed for the semester.

Online resources

Many of the more expensive books that are not available for rent from The University Bookstore or Village Commons Bookstore are available to rent online from Chegg.com at a discounted price. For example, CHEM 110’s required Student Study Guide/Solutions Manual for General, Organic and Biochemistry — $69.00 used and $92.00 new from University Bookstore and Village Commons Bookstore — is available for $19.99 to rent from Chegg.com and due back June 3.

College is expensive, so getting books for class at a reasonable price takes work and students need to do their research to find the right option for them.