Barnes and Noble has launched two innovative programs aimed to help college students save money on textbooks: textbook rentals and etextbooks. Barnes and Noble introduced the textbook rental program on August 9, 2010, and in the two days following the announcement, the textbook rental program is taking shape on the B&N at "Textbooks: Anyway You Want Them." Textbook rentals, combined with what the Des Moines Register calls the " New College Textbook Law " in their August 10, 2010 editorial about the Higher Education Opportunity Act, could save students a lot of money.
How to Rent Textbooks: Details of the B&N Textbook Program
Instead of making textbook rentals exclusive to B&N College, textbooks can now be rented from the main Barnes and Noble online store in an area called "Textbooks: Anyway You Want Them." To rent textbooks, there are a few program highlights to understand.
- Renters have 21 days to change their minds about renting a textbook; textbooks can be returned within the three week period and only the shipping fee is charged.
- Textbooks can be rented for 60, 90, or 130 days.
- Textbook rentals can be extended by 15 to125 days.
- Books that are not returned by the due date get a 15 day extension. After that, the renter is charged for the book.
- According to the B&N Textbook FAQ, "excessive highlighting or writing" is a reason that the book will not be accepted back as a rental, which would cause the renter to be charged the full price of the book.
- After the rental period, there is an option to buy the textbook.
- eTextbooks can be rented, and when the rental period is over, the book is no longer accessible.
To return a textbook, the student has to print off a shipping label and pack the book up to be shipped. The postage is paid, but it is up to the renter to make sure that the book is properly packed.
How to Download eTextbooks: Details about the Barnes and Noble NOOKstudy Program
Although Nook is in the program's name, NOOKstudy etextbooks are not for the Nook. In their General Questions about eTextbooks section, Barnes and Noble notes that, " You cannot use your NOOK or mobile device to read textbooks as the screens are too small to properly view the contents." All of the etextbooks downloaded through Barnes and Noble must be used on computers, and students can authorize two computers for the books. Other important program highlights include:
- There is a free one week trial for etextbooks. During this time, the etextbook can be accessed, but text can not be printed.
- Textbooks can not be shared as they are linked to both Barnes and Noble accounts and Adobe accounts.
- There is a limited number of pages that can be printed for each enhanced etextbook, and there are limits per book on how often pages can be printed. Only enhanced editions will allow printing.
- The etextbooks are the same as printed textbooks, except they will not come with any cds or other materials.
One of the drawbacks to etextbook rentals through NOOKstudy is the program's dependence on Adobe Digital Editions. Students will have to have a Barnes and Noble account and an Adobe account, which some people in the NOOKstudy forum have reported as problematic. NOOKstudy users need to have fairly new computers; the program requires either XP or Vista for Windows or Mac OS X (10.6.x). This means that Linux fans will have to find a clever workaround, which is what Linux users like to do, or use printed textbooks.
Higher Education Opportunity Act Gives Students Options for Textbook Purchases
In their August 10, 2010 editorial, " Required Reading: New College Textbook Law " the Des Moines Register pointed out that the Higher Education Opportunity Act helps students even more, because, "the federal government is telling colleges to release textbook information as early as possible - ideally by registration. That gives students more time to take advantage of cost-reducing competition in the textbook market." If students know the publisher, edition, and ISBN of a textbook, they can go to the Barnes and Noble online store and see what textbooks are available in what formats, and then they can evaluate their options.
If students can get the textbook information and start comparison shopping to determine if textbook rentals, NOOKstudy etextbooks, or buying printed textbooks is best. With the one week e-textbook rental trial and 21 day rental return policy, renting and downloading textbooks is risk-free. Students should consider more than the price of a book; if it will be used professionally or repeatedly, it makes more sense to buy the book. If the books are bulky and space is an issue, it makes sense to use a digital edition of a textbook. If the book is required for class, using NOOKstudy etextbooks will not work unless the student has a laptop.
Now that Amazon has won the Kindle vs. Nook ereader war, Barnes and Noble is advancing on the textbook front. Barnes & Noble is for sale and it makes sense that the bookseller is actively seeking to place itself in the minds and hearts of college students. Barnes and Noble College stores are designed to appeal to university students, and their August 2010 textbook rental and NOOKstudy programs are designed to give college students options.
For more information, read the original story regarding how Barnes and Noble plans to rent textbooks in stores and online.
Sources:
- The Barnes and Noble Nookstudy site, Nookstudy Forum, and Textbooks: Anyway You Want Them pages were accessed by starting at Barnes and Noble on August 10, 2010.
- "Required Reading: New College Textbook Law" was published on the Des Moines Register on August 10, 2010. It was writted by the Register editioral staff.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
