The Fresno City College bookstore is now giving students more options in how they acquire their textbooks. In addition to the traditional ways – buying new or used textbooks – FCC students can now rent their textbooks instead of buying them. The bookstore is making textbooks available for rent in order to help students afford a necessary material for their education.
“Books are extremely expensive, so there needs to be a way for someone to go to school, afford the books and the tuition, so this helps,” Mary-Beth Wynn, bookstore manager for State Center Community College District, said. FCC has not previously offered a rental program through the bookstore itself or online. The ability to rent was provided by outside sources.
Wynn also says that students who prefer to conduct their businesses online can arrange their rentals online. If a book can be purchased through the bookstore online, it can be rented online as well.
The process for renting textbooks is similar to buying. For instance, in the same way that a textbook can be bought new or used, rentals work the same way. A copy of “Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings” by Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau costs $73.35 to purchase if brand new and $55.00 if used. On the other hand, renting this book new would cost $44.60 and $26.25 if used. Students can save as much as 50 percent by renting.
Currently, approximately 30 percent of textbooks in the bookstore are available for rent. This will change at the end of the fall semester when only the spring books are taking into account.
Lower costs are not the only benefit of renting though, according to Wynn. She said the rental program encourages more students to obtain their books through the FCC bookstore which guarantees that the book that the student needs is in stock and is also the correct edition of the book.
“There are a lot of benefits of coming into this store. The book that the instructor has requested is here. There is no doubt about it. When they [students] return the book, they can bring it right back here so that the student doesn’t have to mail it. We have it in stock, you don’t have to worry about it not being in stock,” said Wynn. Additionally, the process saves time and the aggravation of standing in long lines.
Students who choose to rent will have to sign a contract which details the rental process and due dates. The contract will be between the FCC bookstore and the student. Wynn describes this system as similar to checking a book out, “but you’re paying for it.”
Additionally, students who rent a textbook from the bookstore need to have a valid FCC ID, email address and a credit card that is valid throughout the semester. A student may pay cash for textbook rentals but must keep a valid credit card on file in case the book is damaged or not returned.
A student’s credit card will be charged if a rented book is not returned or is damaged in a way that it cannot be sold or rented.
If a student does not return the rented book, their credit card will be charged the full amount of the price of a NEW textbook whether they rented it new or used. In order to encourage students to return their books on time, the bookstore will send reminders of the due date for the book to the email address listed.
Wynn says that though the book needs to be brought back in a sellable condition, students can use it like they would any other textbook. They may highlight it and take notes just as they would for a book that they had actually purchased.
Cindy Quiralte, ASG president, said she thinks the student body will respond positively to the rental option. She explained that she understands how important books are to student success and she believes that the book rental program will help.
“I am optimistic about the response from the student body. ASG is committed to providing options to students who may be under financial constraints,” Quiralte said. “We understand that books are a critical component to a student’s success in the classroom, and the book rental program would be an option to alleviate financial burdens.”
The ASG office plans to start promoting the rental program on Nov. 15. This will continue through the end of the semester. Quiralte said the promotion will be done via speaking tours and through student email accounts.
Though the promotion has not officially started on campus, many students have already heard about it and are eager for it to start. Felix Figueroa, a 20-year-old English Literature major, said he would have benefited from this program a long time ago.
“It would benefit everyone because you can give it back. Renting seems like a really good idea,” Figueroa said.
Alexis Acosta, an 18-year-old Cinema Arts major, shares Figueroa’s view on the rental program. Acosta said that renting would save students money in the long run.
“We can save money by renting,” she said. “You don’t have to pay the full amount. It’s a smaller fee right from the beginning.”
Corrections
The original story stated FCC itself offered limited rentals.
The original story stated a student would be charged the new price only if a new book was rented.