Textbooks through the Library — Thanks!

A student comments:

I just wanted to say that I’m very thankful for all the help the librarians provide to the students. So far, I was able to find 3 textbooks that I need for the upcoming semester. Thank you very much. My budget is tight and I’m glad to know that there is always this option available at no cost.

Dave Green, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Information Services replies:

Thanks for your compliment. Sometimes our librarians can help you locate books that are assigned by your instructor. Having said that, I do want to point out to students that there is a difference between books that may be required reading for your class and a “textbook.” “Textbooks” (books that are designed and published specifically for the sole purpose of being used for class instruction) are published by a handful of specific publishers and there is now much controversy surrounding this particular part of the publishing market. In fact, the textbook trade is often referred to as, “a broken market.” A library’s main focus is acquiring “primary” materials.  Traditional textbooks fall outside of this scope.  Still, we would like to work with others in the university community to help students as they wrestle with overpriced textbooks.