ALS

For Students: Do Your Textbooks Cost Too Much?

Check the Library! We have hundreds of textbooks in our book collection and on course reserve.

• Search the library catalog using  OneSearch  to see if your textbook is available here at Cal State LA or at one of the other CSU libraries.
• The library (and your professors) also place textbooks on Course Reserve in the library. Use the Course Reserves Search page and enter your Course Number or the Professor’s Name to see if your textbook might be on reserve.

More Ways to Save Money and Find Low-Cost Course Materials

• University Bookstore Textbook Rental Program
  Search our bookstore for textbooks -- many of them can now be rented.
• Compare Reviews for Textbook Rental Companies
  A Consumer Affairs website with reviews and links to online textbook rental options.
• DealOz
  This service compares prices across all online bookstores: Alibris, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. It lists rent, buy used, and buy new options.

For Faculty: What are Open Educational Resources (OER)?

“Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. OER include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.”

Open Access textbooks and other materials are available from a wide variety of sources including: Merlot, Cool4ED, LibreTexts, OER Commons and more.

To learn more about how you can help your students by adopting OER, visit: Affordable Learning Solutions & OER @ Cal State LA.