Books that won’t break the bank: A proposed system designed to aid students

February 2, 2009 by Haley Etchison 

Program’s goal is to provide access to additional resources on campus

Program's goal to provide students additional resources on campus. Photo by: Devin Loretz

One of the champions of the Textbook Assistance Program (TAP) at the College of Southern Nevada is hoping to help UNLV start a similar program.

Christopher Harrington served in student government at CSN before he transferred to the university college at UNLV. He was chair of an ad hoc committee set up to spearhead the TAP and a companion textbook reserve program that he described as “a collaboration between the instructors and the library.”

“Talking to our constituents over there I found out that there’s a big need for textbooks when either they’re sold out at the bookstore [or] students don’t have to funds,” Harrington said.

He sees a similar need on our campus. “There’s not a program like this at all- either one of these programs- at UNLV,” he said.

“Apparently years back this program has been started before but the cost factor and the space it just didn’t seem very feasible at that time. But times have changed. The need for a program like this has increased because the economy has decreased.”

Harrington explained how CSN began its textbook programs with only $6 thousand spread among the three campuses. “It’s a low-cost program,” he said. “There’s no reason not to institute this program on campus. It’s just getting the administration to get behind the program.”

“The Textbook Assistance Program requires a lot more financial assistance just to get it started. [For] the textbook reserve program the finances would be more minimal,” Harrington said, explaining how UNLV is likely to institute a textbook reserve program first, then add a program like TAP later. “Marketing-wise, when you develop a new program you start out low, build your way up [and] see if it works,” he said.

“The intent of a reserve program is to keep the textbooks at the library. On of the other facets of this program is people don’t want to bring their chemistry book to class so if there’s one at the library and they have time that day they can check it out for a specified period of time but it cannot leave the library… That way it’s accessable to more students throughout the day.”

“The textbook reserve program anybody can use. All they have to have is their RebelCard to check the book out,” he said. “The textbook Assistance Program is different. That goes on a need basis. There are a lot of stipulations attached to that.”

“The textbooks can be awarded either by a voucher awarded by Financial Aid or… the Textbook Assistance Program will loan out a textbook for the duration of the semester. The student will have to bring the textbook back at the end of the semester in good condition and then there are repercussions if it’s not brought back in good condition such as a hold put on their account until the book is either replaced or paid for.”

To get the project off the ground Harrington said UNLV will need initial funds, a location to store the books and the cooperation of faculty.

“As soon as we find a location to store the textbooks then we’re going to start going to the deans of all the colleges and… ask the deans to ask their professors to provide a textbook from the publisher that they get for the class and just put it in the library for the students to use.”

Harrington said there might be funds already allocated for textbook assistance that are going unused and that if so, the programs could begin soon, unaffected by challenges from state budget cuts. He thinks helping students have access to textbooks is important enough that the project could succeed even without reserve money.

“The ultimate goal is to give the students another resource on campus.”

Harrington said the project’s library would be built by students’ donations of used books.

Yusting Chiu, a photography major, said she might donate her old books to an assistance or reserve program. 

“When I don’t find any use for it then I would consider donating them,” she said, adding that if the bookstore would not buy back her books she would be more inclined to give them away. 

Education major Juan Serafica liked the idea of textbook assistance and reserve programs but explained that it might not help him much.

“It would have been cool three years ago when I started taking my general core requirements,” he said, adding that, as a member of the honors college his core classes and textbooks are different from most students’ and might not be included in the collection. 

Serafica said, “In the event that I did qualify for it and then I had to take a class [with materials provided by the program] I would definitely use it and it would be a great asset to same me money.”

“It’s almost like friends who share books sometimes. If the library can actually help you… it might help in this economic crisis,” said biology major Ellen Huang.

She also saw a potential problem. “In order to be fair to all students [the library would have to] have a huge selection of all books so it can actually help out everyone.”

Mai Ciui, a hospitality major, transferred from a school in Japan that had a program like the one Harrington is promoting.

“We had to buy the books but we also could borrow the books from the library,” she said. “We had only one assignment in a week so we would use it and just give it back to the library. It worked because I didn’t have to buy the book.”