By Marlin Kinzer
Bookstore Director

This spring, approximately 25% of SDSM&T’s 300 course textbooks will be available from Mines Bookstore via rental, digital versions, and the traditional textbook format.  Students who are interested in alternatives to purchasing textbooks will find “Rent Me” tags for texts available for rental and “Jumpbook™” tags for titles available in digital form.

In Fall 2010, nearly 200 students rented titles from Mines Bookstore.  The bookstore predicts that amount will double in Spring 2011.  Students who rent will find rental prices are significantly less than the purchase price.  However, students should put careful thought into their decision before deciding to rent rather than purchase their text.  Will they want to use the text as a reference for other courses?  Will they need the text for more than one semester?  Will they be on campus to return the text at the end of the semester?  Will they be able to fulfill the terms of the rental contract?  These as well as other variables should be considered by students before choosing the rental option.
Jumpbook™ digital books can be downloaded onto a tablet pc or accessed via a website.  Available titles are good for 180 or 360 consecutive days depending upon the text.  Options such as printing, highlighting, etc. vary from book to book and from publisher to publisher.  Students will see the detailed information for each digital book on the tag adjacent to the course card posted in the bookstore.  Prices vary, but are typically 25%-40% less than a new text.  Access codes and instructions for use of digital books will be issued at the point of sale in the bookstore and printed on the student’s receipt.

If you have questions regarding textbook rentals or Jumpbook™ digital books, please contact the Mines Bookstore.