Though textbooks can be expensive, they’re an important part of a college education.

Much of course content is often based on material from the textbook, said Carl Arbuckle, textbook manager for the University Book Store.

Chris Niemand, University Book Store sales associate and junior in art and design, agreed with Arbuckle about the importance of buying the books for class. He said he prefers to purchase all the books required for classes because professors expect students to read.

The University Book Store, located in the Memorial Union, has ways students can save money on this important investment.

This fall, the University Book Store will begin a textbook rental program. Arbuckle said students will be able to pay a rental fee on select titles, sign a rental agreement and keep the books until the end of the semester. Arbuckle estimated that renting textbooks will cost 40 to 50 percent of the regular price of a textbook.

If books are returned to University Book Store at the end of the semester in bad condition, or if they have been lost, students will receive a charge on their U-Bills.

Textbooks can also be rented from an online source. ISU alumnus Aayush Phumbhra is a cofounder of Chegg.com, a textbook rental site where students are able to rent books for a semester, quarter or 60-day period. There’s a rental fee involved, but the books are in good condition, according to the website.

If students want to save money, but still own their books, Arbuckle suggested students should shop early to find the biggest selection of used books.

“Buying used books and selling them back will most of the time be a better deal,” Arbuckle said.

Students are also able to purchase books from the University Book Store online and have them delivered.

When buying books, Arbuckle said it’s important to bring a class schedule. Class schedules have information about what section a student is in, and different class sections may use different textbooks.

In addition to the University Book Store, there are other places to buy books. The Campus Book Store is located on Lincoln Way, directly across from the University Book Store.

Other options include purchasing textbooks from online sources, such as amazon.com.

Nancy Acosta, senior in linguistics, said she has never purchased or rented books online because she prefers to buy the books at University Book Store. Acosta felt it was the “designated” place to buy books. She also said that occasionally she will checkout books from the Ames Public Library.

Niemand also said he preferred to purchase his textbooks from a store, because he knows what the condition of the books is when he purchases them, and he can make sure he is getting the correct edition of the text.

If students do not wish to rent books, they are still able to sell them back to the bookstores at the end of the semester. Both Campus Book Store and University Book Store offer textbook buy-back services.

Arbuckle said University Book Store will buy back a book that will be used again the next semester for about 50 percent of the price of a new book. Books that are sold back that will not be used next semester will receive the national wholesale value of the book, which is about 10 to 33 percent, Arbuckle said.

One of the most frequently asked questions Niemand gets at University Book Store includes customers asking why a certain book is not in stock. Niemand said this happens if the professor has not yet filed a request with the bookstore.

“It comes down to communication between the instructor and the bookstore,” Niemand said.