A librarian’s guide to saving money (on books)
Every reading list should be preceded with the words “don’t panic” in large, friendly letters. Almost everything you need to read for your course is available through the library. Most are available as ebooks that you can read from anywhere online; we buy print copies, where available, for those who prefer them. There is usually a choice of what you can read, so you don’t have to learn everything all at once.
Only a few books need to be bought – those core texts for courses where your tutor is convinced you need your own copy because they are going to get you to read it from cover to cover over the course of the year. Just remember:
- there will be more than one ‘core textbook’ for almost every course – leaf through a library copy of each book and pick the one you like best;
- you can find most books available through the library for free;
- shopping around for all the other books you want will save you money.
Share and share alike
If you have friends on your course, you could all collaborate to save money by sharing textbooks between yourselves, taking turns with each book. Another approach is to read different books, then get together and discuss what you have learned, sharing your understanding, discussing ideas and exchanging views on what you discovered. You could even form a study group in person or online.
Hand-me-down books
Students graduating or moving on to the next year of study might be interested in selling books to students in earlier years. So long as the book is sufficiently current (you might need the latest edition, depending on your course), this can be another way to save money.
Finding the book cheaply
No one supplier will always be the cheapest, and certainly not Amazon! If you do need to actually buy a book, there are lots of places you can buy it from and shopping around can help keep the cost down. Consider using a price comparison site to make the most of your money. Here’s a list of just some online book retailers and book price comparison sites you might consider to get you started:
Major bookselling platforms:
Ethical, eco-friendly alternatives:
Assistant Librarian (Promotions) at the University Library. An enthusiastic advocate of libraries, diversity, inclusion, equity, and social justice for all, inside and outside the workplace.
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