Student guide to Open Educational Resources (OER): How to find low-cost textbook options @ TCC

If you're in the Bookstore in Bldg 11:

If you're in the TCC Bookstore in Bldg 11, ask the Bookstore clerk if there is a low-cost, Print on Demand textbook option for your class. The Boosktore staff will consult a booklist of low-cost textbook options available and let you know if there is a low-cost option or not for your class.

If you're searching the Bookstore online store:

Students can also easily request and purchase a Print on Demand copy via the Bookstore online. This way, students can use their federal financial aid or grant funds to cover the cost of the textbook. If students print off their OER textbooks themselves, like via the Library of Info Commons printers, then the cost of that printing is out-of-pocket and cannot be covered by financial aid or grant funds.

Search for your class in the Bookstore online store, and look at the textbook details. Below is an example of what a Print on Demand option looks like on the current Bookstore Textbook online store:

• When there is a Print on Demand option, the author is listed as "Print on Demand"
• Print on Demand copies are listed as "Choice" (optional)

There may not be a Print on Demand option in the Bookstore for your textbook for one of more reasons:

• The instructor did not submit the Print on Demand textbook info to the Bookstore before the quarter began.
• The textbook used in the course is not eligible for Print on Demand; because of copyright law, only textbooks with a Creative Commons (CC) license or in the Public Domain are eligible for Print on Demand services.
• The instructor is using alternative sources to a textbook, such as a library e-book or a collection of articles via the library databases or freely available on the open web. 

Alternative options:

• Library Reserves: Check at at the Library Front Desk (Bldg 7) to see if your instructor has put a print copy of the OER textbook on Reserve for you to check out for a limited time.
• Print yourself: If your instructor has included a link or digital copy, such as a PDF download, of your OER textbook, you can can legally print off a copy of the entire text yourself, like via Kinko's or FedEx or via computer labs and printers available across the TCC campus. However, in this scenario, you will have to pay out-of-pocket for those copies, and any financial aid or grant funds you receive cannot be used to cover those out-of-pocket expenses.
• Access Services: If you have a disability and have registered with Access Services, then Access Services staff may be able to print off the OER text and/or submit a print request via the Bookstore. You will need to directly contact Access Services to initiate this option.