It is a reality that the price of course materials is skyrocketing. According to a national survey, the #1 factor that affects a student's perception of the course book cost is how extensively the book is used in class. There are many ways the Campus Duck Store and faculty can work together to lower the overall cost for students. With technology becoming a major factor in academia, publishers are coming up with more ways to market this technology with their course books. Here are a few things we're currently doing at the Campus Duck Store to keep prices low and a few tips for faculty on how to avoid high priced orders.

We are one of only 25 national large college campus stores to offer our members (UO students, faculty & staff) a 10% discount off the publisher list price of new books and a 32% discount off the publisher list price of used books. This rebate amounted to over $1,084,000 for academic year 2006-2007.

Our adoption deadlines help secure the largest possible inventory of used books for students, saving them valuable dollars each term. When we receive adoption orders by the deadline, this allows us to give our students the highest dollar value during buyback. It also gives us enough time to obtain more used books through our channel of bookstore campuses nationwide.

Our staff proactively contacts faculty who order bundled texts to discuss alternate ordering options. Bundled books cost students more money than any other type of book order. Only new course books are included in bundles packaged by publishers so we can't offer used books. Furthermore, bundled books are NOT eligible for Buyback. Selling all pieces separately can really save students a great deal! By partnering with our faculty, we can save students the most money possible.

Buyback Online is comprised of three tools. First, Sell A Book allows you to check the current buyback prices for your books. Get the best prices at the end of term during finals week. If your book has buyback value you should sell it back the same day. Used book demand is limited and a book's value may change. The second Buyback Online tool is the free Used Book Classifieds, a service provided by the Duck Store to help you sell your course books to other students. Post books you would like to sell or find books that others are offering. The third tool, Buy-Back Alerts, sends you an email if your book is being bought at the Campus Duck Store. Book prices change during the term; a book with low value now may have higher value at a later date if it is used here or on a different university campus. This service is a great way to stay up to date on the current price of your book!

While access to online study aids, interactive websites and ancillary CD-Roms may add value to the overall learning experience for a student, they also add dollars to the original text. Bundling books creates a need for new textbooks so the Campus Duck Store is unable to offer used books in order to save students money.

If you plan on only using a few chapters or only pieces of a course book, consider the benefits of using packets or online E-Reserves as an alternative to the entire text. This will save money and lower the overall cost for students.

By lengthening the span of time you use a specific course book edition, you increase the percentage of used books we can purchase. The more used books we can supply for students, more students will benefit from the savings! It will also increase the value of that particular text in the Buyback market from students at the end of each term.

The UO Library offers an alternative to the standard course packet called E-Reserves. Students can use and access E-Reserves online for no cost. Using E-Reserves can be more cost effective for students in certain instances. Make sure to explore this option before placing an order for your course packet. The materials you submit to E-Reserves must comply with the University Libraries' Copyright Guidelines, which are different than those required for course packets.