Purchasing
Textbooks
Students may purchase textbooks from the
Skidmore Shop either online or at The Shop. We
recommend that you consider ordering on-line prior to
arriving on campus so that we can have your order picked
and processed for you when you arrive on campus. Before
you start either method, be sure you have your class
schedule handy, it contains the information you will
need to make the proper book selections.
How
to Order Textbooks Online
Follow the
link to our site: http://textbooks.skidmore.edu/home.aspx.click
the Student Ordering link on the lower left of the
page. With your schedule in hand, follow the
instruction on the site. Typically it takes about
twenty minutes to place your order. Be sure you
indicate your preference for new or used books. Not all
titles are available used, and some are in limited
numbers, which are sold on a first come, first served
basis so try and place your orders as early as possible.
You will receive a receipt delivered to your email
account, please check it carefully to insure that you
have order the books you need.
The pickup
area for textbooks is located in the back right corner
of the store. When you come to pickup your books you
will need to bring your Skidmore ID the order number
from your receipt. We will not release an order without
your ID, this is to insure you and only you get the
books you paid for, so please remember to bring it. It
is also helpful to bring a copy of your receipt and a
copy of your schedule just in case there are any
questions.
You should bring your course schedule,
which contains course and section numbers, to the
bookstore when you come to purchase your books for the
semester. In order to locate your books within the
store, you’ll need the course abbreviation, the course
number and the section number with the professor’s name.
Example: The course number assigned to
American History 105 section 001 with Professor Linrothe
will be AH 105 001/002.
Finding Your Books
With the course registration
information, you can go to the appropriate (i.e.
American History) section of the bookstore. The
bookstore uses the exact same course abbreviations and
section numbers to identify the books that are found on
your registration card.
To purchase books for a course, you
should first find the shelf card with that exact course
abbreviation and section number on it (i.e. AH 105
001/002). Next, read the card to find out the author and
title of the correct textbook, and then look above the card to find the book.
Make sure that the book on the shelf is
the same as the book listed on the card. Notice that at
the bottom of each bookstore shelf card there are two
numbers. Example: AH 105 001/002 Linrothe has three
books required for the Fall semester. At times, the
shelf is not long enough for the number of books in the
class so the sequence wraps around to the shelf below or
to the next section of shelving. Be sure to purchase
all of the required books for each course.
The courses are arranged in alphabetical
order by course abbreviation starting with AH (for
American History) and continuing through to WS (Womens
Studies). AH is located on the left side of the back
wall of the bookstore. The courses follow in
alphabetical order, left to right, top to bottom to the
back of the store. There are signs on top of the book
islands to guide you to the correct area for course
abbreviations. Once you have found the correct course
abbreviation, the course numbers should follow in
ascending order.
If you are unable to find a course
number, make sure you are in the correct aisle and that
the course numbers do not continue on another shelf. If
you are still unable to find a course number, ask one of
our textbook associates for help. It's possible that the
course does not require any textbooks or that the course
is cross listed with another course. Remember; only buy
the books that have a shelf tag with your exact course
and section number on it.
Recommended Readings
Some courses have
"recommended" textbooks for the course. We suggest that
the student attend class and see his or her instructor
before purchasing these recommended books.
If you are sure of your
courses, you should buy all of your books as soon as you
can. If you are thinking about adding or dropping a
course, please do not purchase these books until you
know whether or not you are taking a particular course.
The number of books available for students in each
course corresponds to the actual enrollment for that
course. If a student who is not yet in a course
purchases the books for that course it could affect the
number of books available to those students who are
legitimately enrolled.
Other Helpful Tips
Not
all titles are available used but many are - used books
save you money. Used books will be identified by a
yellow “used” sticker usually attached to the book’s
spine. Condition of used books varies but all are fully
serviceable and will suffice for your class needs.
Keep
your receipt!
Hopefully, you have purchased the correct books for your
courses and you will not need to return any, however,
often that is not the case. You will need your
receipt to return your books. We suggest you sign
your name to the back of your receipt when you purchase
your books so if you loose it, your books cannot be
returned by someone other than you.
Do not
write in your books until you are sure that you will be
staying in the course. Or better yet, do not write in
your books at all. In order for new books to be
returned as new, they must be new….no highlighter, no
names, no coffee stains. When it comes time to sell
your books at the end of the semester, the price you
receive for your used books may be impacted by the
condition the books are in. We want you to use your
books as the educational tools they are, but remember
they represent a significant investment and they should
be handled and treated as such.
If the
books you purchased were part of a package, or bundle,
be certain to keep all pieces, CDs, and other parts
together, having all the parts may impact the buyback
price or whether you can sell the book at all.
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