Textbook Rental
Using Textbook Rental
How does the Textbook Rental work?Can Graduate students use the Textbook Rental?
What will I need to bring when I pick up my books?
How do I know what I can rent and what I have to purchase?
Renting Books
Is Textbook Rental free?Are all my books in Textbook Rental?
How does the Textbook Rental work?
Instructors inform us what books they will be using each semester. Once the books are ordered, we arrange them on the shelves alphabetically by department, then order them numerically from lower to higher course numbers within that department. The books are tagged according to the information we have received from the instructors. Students should bring in their class schedules, which must include the department, course, and section numbers. This can be printed off from WINS. The information on the class schedule can then be matched up to the information on the shelf tag. If one book is required, the shelf tag will indicate "1 of 1." If the tag indicates "1 of 2" or "1 of 3," this means that you need more than one book, according to the number on the card. These are normally nearby.
Once you find the books that you need, you will proceed to the checkout stations in the front area of the rental. You will need your student account. A worker will scan the barcode on your ID, then they will scan the barcodes on the books, "attaching" them to your ID. You will need to return the exact book that you have checked out or the book will not be removed from your record; other copies will not be accepted in its place. It is therefore highly recommended that you keep track of your books and take care of them. If you think you may have gotten your book mixed up with someone else's, you may call Textbook Rental, they will be able to tell you which copy is yours.
back to topCan Graduate students use Textbook Rental?
Textbook Rental is an undergraduate program only. Graduate students do not pay the Segregated Rental fee in their tuition and are therefore ineligible for Textbook Rental. Occasionally a rental option will be available, and the rental fee will equal to the undergraduate seg fee. back to top
What will I need to bring when I pick up my books?
You will need to have a class schedule that includes your course number - i.e. BIOLOGY 120 - and your section number. Your section number is different from the 4-digit course code used in enrollment. You will need to know your section number in order to find the correct books for your specific class. This is important as there will often be multiple versions of a class, each with different book requirements.
You must have your student ID every time that you check a book in or out.
back to topHow do I know what I can rent and what I have to purchase?
The surest way to answer this question would be to go to class and get your syllabus. Otherwise, the shelf tags in both the bookstore and rental will explain what and how many books are needed for the specific class. Our staff is here to help you out, so don't hesitate to ask them about any questions you may have. Order your books by going into your WINS >Class & Schedule>View My Classes>View/Purchase Course Books (top of screen). By clicking that link all of your textbooks that are needed for the semester will be preloaded into your cart through our website. You will have the option to select shipping or in-store pick-up.
back to topIs Textbook Rental free?
Textbook Rental is a service included in UW-Whitewater's undergraduate tuition and technically not "free." A minimal segregated fee is paid for each semester to use the Textbook Rental program. It is approximately $108 a semester. This cost covers any textbooks checked out from Textbook Rental, as well as most e-books.
back to topAre all my books in Textbook Rental?
Not always. Though the majority of Undergraduate Students' required textbooks will be in Textbook Rental, some departments do have required purchases. Books students must purchase are typically novels, online access codes, lab manuals, or textbooks with constantly changing content.
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