Textbook Program

FAQs

How long has the program been in place, and what prompted NC State University to start acquiring print textbooks?

Our Textbook program has been in place since 2009. The Textbook program was initiated by a student-led proposal to the University Library Committee, which was enthusiastically received and placed as a priority (see 2009 Technician article). We started the program to reduce the burden of rising textbook costs on our student population. We have since paired this program with our Alt-Textbook Project that enables faculty to create low-cost or free textbook alternatives.

How is the Textbook program funded?

It has been funded out of the collections budget, which is supported by state-appropriated funds.

How much does it cost?

We spent more money the first year to seed the program. Since then, we spend between $40,000-$50,000 per fiscal year, depending on how many new textbooks are adopted.

What percentage of the NC State University monograph budget does the textbook purchasing program represent?

Less than 1% of the annual allocation for monographs.

How many textbooks are purchased each year?

In the first year when we seeded the program, we purchased approximately 1,200 textbooks. Since then, the average number of textbooks purchased per fiscal year is 600 textbooks. The number of textbooks purchased varies depending on the number of new textbooks adopted by instructors.

Do you purchase ebook format for textbooks?

Where possible, we purchase ebook formats for required textbooks. 

Do you purchase more than one copy of any textbooks?

Occasionally. About 11% of textbook purchases are for two or more copies. 

For how many of NC State University's classes do you acquire the textbooks? For example, do you focus on the undergraduate programs and core curriculum classes, or do you acquire textbooks for all of the classes?

We acquire one copy of every required textbook for every course offered in the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters. 

How are the textbooks identified?

The textbooks are identified through the course textbook adoption process that is managed by the NC State University Bookstores.

Where do you purchase or source the textbooks? 

The Libraries purchases most of the textbooks from the NC State University Bookstores. They have collaborated with us to maintain this program over the years and continue to be integral partners in the program.

Do you include materials such as course packs and lab manuals?

We have not included course packs or lab manuals (or other consumable educational materials), because they tend to not be as physically robust as textbooks (many are spiral bound, for example), and because students are expected to work through course books and lab manuals as part of their assignments, quiz preparation, lab exercises, etc.

Do you get any textbooks donated by instructors?

Occasionally, instructors do provide additional copies of required texts.

How do you manage refresh of the Textbook program?

Our practice has been to keep the current semester's textbooks and the two prior semesters’ textbooks available since textbooks get re-adopted by the instructors every time they teach a course. Summer is when there is a more systematic refresh of the textbooks collection—print textbooks that are not adopted in the prior three semesters are rotated back into the general collection.

What are the circulation policies on the textbooks?

See our Textbooks loan periods information.

Do you have any estimates on how much money the program has saved students?

We estimate that the reduced financial burden is $424,000 on average, based on Spring 2016, Fall 2016, and Spring 2017 data. 

Are you exploring a joint/consortial purchase of textbooks in e-format?

In order to do this, we would need to find publisher partners who would be interested in creating a cost-effective model that extends access rights to e-textbooks for two or more institutions.

What’s the future of the Textbook program? What’s on the horizon?

In general, our goal is to work on short-term solutions that provide some relief from textbook costs for students like the Textbook program. Longer-term, we aim to promote alternatives to traditional textbooks that offer sustainable learning materials such as our Alt-Textbook Project.