Baylor > Parents League > Perspectives November 2010

In This Issue

The Reality of Renting

Beginning in fall 2010, the concept of textbooks-for-rent sprang up on Baylor campus. Now a few months into this program, the response from students is overwhelmingly positive. Of the thousands of students who rented their textbooks for this semester, most have expressed satisfaction with the efficiency and practicality of renting. And all of them have saved considerable amounts of money.

The Baylor Bookstore has partnered with Follett Corporation to offer
Rent-a-Text, a program that is attracting attention from university campuses nationwide. For years, there have been online companies that rented textbooks to students, but Rent-a-Text brings the affordability of renting to the convenience of a campus location.

Offering rentals for more than 735 of the Baylor Bookstore's 2,400 titles in new and used editions, Follett is working diligently with professors to ensure that students' needs are met.

How can my student rent textbooks?

OPTION 1- During Registration:
When your student registers for classes through Bearweb, he/she will be prompted to either "Book Now" or "Book Later."

  • By choosing the "Book Now" option, all necessary textbooks for your student's courses will automatically be added to an online shopping cart.
  • Within the next few weeks, your student will receive an e-mail encouraging him/her to place the book order.
  • Upon deciding to either rent or buy the textbooks, your student will make a payment.
  • In 3-5 business days, your student's books will arrive at the Baylor Bookstore.

OPTION 2- Visiting the Baylor Bookstore:

  • When locating required textbooks, your student should look for the white shelf tag that indicates if rentals are available.
  • Then, your student will sign a rental agreement and present an ID, verifying that he/she is 18 years or older, and a valid credit/debit card (in case books aren't returned on time).
  • After payment by cash, check, credit/debit card or Bear Bucks, your student will walk away with textbooks in-hand, ready for classes to begin.

OPTION 3- Ordering Online:

  • Encourage your student to search for classes through the online course listings.
  • Each class listing will offer the opportunity to "View Books" required for that course.
  • When your student locates the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), he/she can use the eFollett website to find needed textbooks.
  • Watching for the "Rent-a-Text" button to appear by textbook listings, your student can conclude which courses have rental books--and place the order.
  • By choosing the "pick-up" option, your student will avoid high shipping costs and will have textbooks delivered to the Baylor Bookstore within 5-7 business days.

With this information, your student is ready to rent--and save at least 50% off the cover price for each textbook.

What should my student consider when deciding whether or not to rent textbooks?

1. Is this a book that your student will need again? Some books are used for more than a semester or can be helpful for your student to reference in later college courses. For those textbooks, it might be best for your student to purchase the book. Good news, though! If your student rents a book and decides he/she needs to keep it, your student has seven days after class begins to convert it to an actual purchase.

2. Does your student remember to return things on time? When textbooks are rented, a check-in date will be assigned and printed on your student's receipt. The Baylor Bookstore will attach a sticker to all rented books and will send several reminder e-mails near the end of the semester. However, your student still might need you to help him/her remember to return rented books on time. If books aren't returned, the total cost of the book will be charged to the credit/debit card presented at the time of purchase.

The friendly staff at the Baylor Bookstore can help your student sort through the various options for acquiring textbooks to arrive at the most affordable and most practical choice for his/her courses. If you have questions, please contact Billy Nors, Baylor University Bookstore director, at (254) 710-6972.