Free Textbooks for College Students
Internet Book Sharing and Open Source Textbook Websites
Dec 16, 2008
Thanks to the Internet, finding cheap college textbooks is easier than ever for college students. Whereas students of past generations were at the mercy of college bookstores, today's students can take advantage of websites that sell used textbooks for cheap. Nonetheless, students are still paying more than ever for books every semester, and publishers continue to make a great deal of money at the expense of college students.
So here's some good news: free college textbooks. Thanks to several new Internet trends – Internet book sharing and open source textbook websites – college students are finding ways to get textbooks for their classes for free, or for as low as $10 to $20. And yes, all of this is perfectly legal. Here's where to find free textbooks for college students on the Internet.
Internet Book Sharing and Textbook Revolt
Book sharing websites are popping up all over the Internet. These sites list books that people are willing to give away for free. The idea is that people will take the books they want, and then donate the books they are done with to someone else. Aside from postage costs, this means free books for everyone.
The place for college students to go to share textbooks is Textbook Revolt. Students can join for free as long as they have a college or university account that ends in .edu. Then they list the books they want to get rid of, and sign up to take books from other students who are offering them for free. The only expense is the postage.
Obviously, not every book a student needs is going to show up on Textbook Revolt , but it's a great place to look before trying to buy a new or used book elsewhere – and as the system continues, the inventory will grow and more books will become available. For students to use the system, they need to contact their professors or a department secretary ahead of time to find out what books will be needed for the next semester, which is easy to do.
Open Source Textbook Websites
Another growing trend that is allowing students to get textbooks for free is the open source textbook website tend. These sites – which include Freeload Press -- partner with publishers and professors to put complete textbooks on the web. Students can access these books simply by registering for an account. If students prefer a paper copy, they can purchase copies from the website, usually for a fee that's between $10 and $20 – far less than the price of most college textbooks.
How is this system economically feasible? Unlike paper textbooks, these ones contain ads. The ad revenues pay for the book, not the students, and therefore the books can be accessed for free.
A growing number of professors are assigning textbooks that are available online for free, as professors hate the overpriced textbook system too and want their students to save money. For teachers, these online books have another advantage; because they are open source, that means they can modify the books in any way they choose. They can add or link to additional information that is useful to their course, or delete material they do not plan to teach. Students can also modify the open source textbooks if they choose.
Free College Textbooks: A Growing Trend
For years, college bookstores and textbook publishers have had the upper hand with the textbook market, and companies have made a fortune charging students as much as possible for the books they are required to use for class. Thanks to book sharing and open source textbooks, students have a legitimate and easy way to fight the system and get their materials for little or no cost..
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