Jessica Anderson is the Manager of the Kishwaukee College Bookstore. Textbooks can often be an unexpected cost for many college students. Anderson said, “Students really can cut down on their textbook bill by taking their time and being savvy shoppers.” Texts for the Fall 2016 semester at Kishwaukee College are available through the Bookstore on July 1.
Back in the day, students went to a college bookstore to buy textbooks in two flavors: new and used. Clutching class schedules, students matched course section numbers to cards taped to shelves and left the store with a bag of books and maybe a few binders or notebooks. Today’s college bookstore is an entirely different place. Jessica Anderson, Manager of the Kishwaukee College Bookstore, maintains the traditional brick-and mortar space on campus but also manages a thriving website that offers students a convenient way to shop for textbooks. Welcome to the 21 st century college bookstore!
Textbooks are often an unexpected cost for many students. Book costs in high school are usually pretty reasonable and are built in the fees charged to families. Students who go to college after high school know they are responsible for purchasing their own textbooks for classes, but often find themselves suffering from sticker shock.
Anderson said, “We have a built in comparison shopping option online so students can immediately see how much a new text costs versus used or if renting is more cost effective than buying. We want to help students choose the best option.” Anderson added that the Bookstore has saved Kishwaukee students $347,023.20 since implementing the book rental program in 2013. “We are working steadily to lower used book costs, too, and have lowered the average cost from about $80.00 last year to about $60.00 this year,” she stated.
For example, comparison shopping at the Kishwaukee College Bookstore for the Math 231 Calculus I textbook shows that the book costs $234 if purchased new at the Bookstore. However, students can get a used copy for $66 from the Bookstore. The comparison option reveals that the text can also be purchased as an e-book for $52.30 or rented from an online vendor through the Bookstore for 90 days for $20.34. The Bookstore offers its own rental program as well, giving students additional rental options to choose from.
Because all options are offered through the Kish Bookstore, students can be assured that they are purchasing the correct textbook for the section of the class they are registered for. “Students really can cut down on their textbook bill by taking their time and being savvy shoppers,” noted Anderson. “And we only offer comparison prices on the exact text and edition that the instructor requested so students don’t have to worry about having the correct ISBN number for the book.”
Textbook shopping can also be rendered more cost effective if students purchase their books over several weeks instead of in one big purchase. “We will start selling the textbooks for Fall 2016 on July 1,” explained Anderson. “The semester begins August 29 so students who know their schedules can purchase books over several weeks. It can be easier to purchase $50 or $100 worth of text books every week or so rather than having one really big textbook purchase in August.”
The only downside to perusing the options and purchasing online is that students can’t apply financial aid toward the purchase. Students can use federal and state financial aid only in-store and only 5-10 days before their class begins, because of financial aid regulations on when funds are released to be used for academic purchases.
Students must also be responsible and keep track of their rental books and when those books must be returned to the rental company. The Math 231 text for this summer, for example, can be rented for $20.34, but must be returned via mail or delivery company in 90 days. “Not returning a rental book on time can mean that the student must then purchase the book, often at “new” prices, which can prove expensive” added Anderson. “If students rent from the Bookstore direct – not through a third party vendor – the return policy is less punitive. The charge they have to pay for late or non-return is only the difference between the rental and the purchase price.”
In addition to textbooks, today’s Bookstore also sells everything that the contemporary student needs. Traditional school supplies – notebooks, binders, pens, pencils, calculators – are joined by items required for specific majors (art supplies and nursing scrubs, for example) as well as electronics. Students can purchase Kish gear and insignia clothing for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society or other organizations and even grab a snack, greeting card, fun stuffed animal or other novelty item. But the main focus of the Kishwaukee College Bookstore is just that: books for students!
Visit the Kishwaukee College Bookstore online at http://bookstore.kishwaukeecollege.edu/ . For more information, contact Jessica Anderson at 815-825- 9786 or at Jessica.anderson@kishwaukeecollege.edu.
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