Depending on your chosen courses, you may need anything from one textbook to a whole library of books relating to your next essay when you’re at college. While it can be great to own and acquire new books, storing your personal library—and paying for it—can get challenging. Check out these tips on how to cut costs when it comes to using books to help you study at college.
Try Different Libraries
It goes without saying, the first place you should head to if you’re wanting to read up on a subject without spending loads is your college library. These may be divided into subjects, so choose the library most relevant to you. It may also be worth checking out your local public library – sometimes they can be surprizingly well stocked with titles on certain subjects, and they can also offer you an alternative working space when you’re a bit done with the college library.
Head To A Book Swap
Keep an eye out for notices around campus or on social media about book swaps – these should happen fairly regularly throughout the year in most colleges, as the chances are lots of students want to pick up or offload some titles. This is a great way of ensuring that costs are kept low and that you don’t get overwhelmed with books in your accommodation – if you’re heading to a book swap to pick up some new reads, don’t forget to take a few of your old ones with you, too.
Check Out The Online Options
Sites such as Abebooks and eBay offer some great discounts on academic texts, especially if you don’t mind reading someone else’s pencil annotations in your copy (who knows, they could come in handy!)
It is totally possible to build up an impressive and relevant personal library for your studies without racking up debt over it, so check out some of these sources of free or cheaper books.
