Be Savvy and Save: Salve Regina Bookstore will Rent out Textbooks Next Semester

By: Stephanie Turaj
Posted In: News

Students report spending an average of $667 on course materials in the past 12 months, reported a study done by Student Watch 2010. However, Salve Regina University students now have a way to save half of this money by renting books.

Salve Regina Bookstore will be using Rent-A-Text.com starting fall semester 2010. Elio DiStaola, the director of public and campus relations at Follett Higher Education Group, said Rent-A-Text is based on a very simple “read and return” model. Instead of buying a textbook, students will now have the option to rent the textbook for half the price, as long as they return the book at the due date, generally at the end of the semester.

Students can order the books online, or pick the books up at the bookstore, but they will avoid all the shipping costs factored into renting or buying books elsewhere.

At Salve Regina Bookstore, books that can be rented will be flagged. If a book is available for rent, students will be asked whether they want to rent or buy the book.

DiStaola said that since things change for students often, such as adding and dropping courses, Rent-A-Text adds flexibility for students. Students can rent books at any point during the semester.

“The biggest benefit is there is huge upfront savings,” said DiStaola. “What they pay as a rental fee comes from out of their pocket. At sellback [of a purchased book], sometimes there are new editions, and the students get back zero dollars. There is a question mark at traditional purchase.”

DiStaola said his company, E-Follet, started Rent-A-Text following on a pilot in seven schools. The students in these schools saved over two million dollars. This fall, Rent-A-Text will be in 860 bookstores, giving affordability and accessibility to students. Rent-A-Text impacts education making more materials accessible to students and giving them a better class experience, DiStaola said.

“It’s a house of choices,” said DiStaola. “You can choose to buy or rent, new or used, bound or digital. [Renting books] sits alongside other options.”

DiStaola said that in the past, bookstores used to be all about buying new books, and then to buying both new and used books. He said that the bookstore will offer both rentals and purchases, and will see which option students choose more. However, most students chose the rental option in the pilot done by E-Follet.

“Rental isn’t for everybody, it’s just another option,” said DiStaola. “Some students may want to use a book as part of their personal library, so buying a used copy might make more sense. Some books might not be for rent, [such as] workbooks, which are consumable and for single use.”

According to the Rent-A-Text website, normal highlighting and note-taking in the rented textbooks is perfectly acceptable, as long as there are no excessive markings that would make the book unusable. DiStaola said that Rent-A-Text expects the normal wear and tear in the book, but damage such as missing pages or water damage is not acceptable. He says these are the same expectations as textbook buy back.

Even if a student fails to return a book, there will still be options available for the student. If a book is not returned by the end of the semester at the due date, the student will be charged a fee. The student will own the book, so the student has the option of keeping the book, or attempting to sell the book back.

“We’re investing 120 million of our own dollars into this project,” said DiStaola. “It’s an exciting and simple idea from the students’ standpoint.”