In Pursuit of Books

On this beautiful Sunday, setting up with some coffee and reading at the UGLi seems like the perfect way to spend the afternoon. The best part of it though, is that I did not have to pay for any of the school-related material I am reading! The important lesson of this post is that while many professors provide you with long lists of books to buy, there is almost always another way to find these materials that is both faster, and cheaper. Here are a few of the resources I have found over the years:

C-Tools. This is the first place you should check. Professors will usually tell you if they post material here, but it is always important to ask. Often times this is the place where professors will put PDFs, webpages etc. of readings for the class.

Google Books. This is not a full-proof method, but I have often found it helpful in the past. The University of Michigan was one of the first institutions to be apart of the Google Books Library project. This project, initiated by University of Michigan alum and Google founder Larry Page, is attempting to organize information by making it easier to find relevant books. Often times I can find almost all of the pages I need to read on Google Books, this method saves me from having to leave my room most of the time. To find more information about Google Books Project, you may check it out here.

Libraries. There first thing I do when I get a syllabus is to look and see which books are in the University library system. Since the University of Michigan libraries are all interconnected and since the University has partnerships with libraries all over the region, it is hard to find a book the library does not have. There are a few ways to access books at the library:

1. Check Them Out. Many books can be checked out of the library and kept for a several weeks at a time. In order to find out these books, check out the University Library System. That can be found here.
2. View Them Temporarily. Often times professors will put required books on reserve at the library. These books can be checked out for 4 hours at a time (bonus tip: if you check it out after 9 pm at night, you can keep it until 8 am the next morning!). This is a great method because it forces you schedule time to do work, but it allows you to use a book for as long as you need it and then get it back out of your life. Be aware, especially if the professor advertises it, a few people in your class may be taking advantage of this method. Be careful to allow yourself time, in case the book is already checked out when you get there.
3. Read them Online. Some of the University's books are actually available, in full, on the library website. This is rare, but it does happen. If this is the case, the book will be listed as "Available Online" in the University Library System and all you have to do is sign in to find it. This is how I did my reading today.

Department Learning Centers. Most departments at the University have a learning center. Two of the most major are the Science Learning Center (SLC) in the Chemistry Building, and the Language Learning Center in North Quad. These are not only great places to go for help, but often times they have spare textbooks on hand. If you are ever missing a textbook, it might be a good chance to check your local learning center to see if you can borrow what you need.

The bottom line is that you never need to spend as much as you think on textbooks. There is almost always the book on campus available to you. Before you decide to take the plunge, explore a little on campus, see what you can find!