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Textbooks are Important for Academic Success
Textbooks are essential to students’ learning in the college classroom. Access to a textbook, combined with course lectures, discussions, and activities, greatly improves students’ success in both the classroom and along your academic path. Sometimes, it can be challenging to figure out where you should get your textbooks and where to find the most affordable options. At Salem College we believe that your textbooks should challenge you academically, but NOT financially! Review the Textbook List during registration to discover the required and/or recommended titles for each of your courses. See also the information below on accessing titles via the library's “Course Reserves” as well as online shopping and rental textbook options.
Gramley Library at Salem College has an online library system where you can explore the library’s large selection of course texts, including print books, ebooks, articles, and media. Each semester the library places as many as possible of the required and recommended textbooks for that semester on “Course Reserves.” Ebook and other electronic formats are the preferred format for library purchases allowing students to access the materials online at any time and location. Salem authentication (e.g. Salem username and password) is required if you are off campus. The majority of the library’s course reserves materials are in electronic format, however, some materials are not available for the library to purchase in electronic format and print copies must be purchased. Print copies are available to check out for 3 hours at a time in the library. Scanning and printing equipment in the library can assist students in maintaining access to print materials. Please check the library’s “Course Reserves” to see if your courses’ textbooks are available electronically or in print in the library.
There are many textbook websites with books for sale or rent, including Amazon, Google Scholar, Better World Books, Cheapest Textbooks, Chegg, Bookfinder, and others. You can also check out buying or selling a textbook via the Salem College google group, Student Textbooks for Sale. Please remember to also review “Course Reserves” to see if your courses’ textbooks are available electronically or in print in the library.