Online sales of texts offer alternatives
ByEricRineer
Staff writer
With the growth of online shop
ping services, some University of
Nebraska-Lincoln students are taking
their textbook shopping to the Internet.
' Tim Butler, a junior mechanical
engineering major, said shopping at
sites such as varsitybooks.com was an
excellent way to purchase textbooks.
“I’d suggest it if you have to buy
new books,” Butler said “You get them
for way cheaper, and they get there
quick.”
Other online textbook shopping
can be found at booksamillion.com,
bigwords.com and Efollet.com, a site
run by the University Bookstore.
Paul Bouc, UNL’s campus repre
sentative for varsitybooks, said online
companies were a good way to find
books. His employer, he said, offers
books to more than 250 colleges and
universities nationwide.
“Students now have an opportuni
ty to pursue other avenues,” said Bouc,
a senior marketing and finance major.
“I think it’s kind of a dumb thing on
campus that the bookstores have a
monopoly. They really take advantage
of students.”
Despite the advertising by several
online textbook companies on UNEs
campus this week, sales at the book
store continue to be strong, saidViann
Schroeder, the store’s acting manager.
“From our standpoint, our sales are
ahead of last year, and last year we set
records,” Schroeder said.
The store’s high sales can be large
ly attributed to the textbook reserva
tion program at the bookstore, die said.
“It’s a lot easier to use textbook
reservation than it is to use online ser
vices. All you have to do is write down
your signature and give us your ID
number,” she said.
From there, foe bookstore does foe
rest.
“We pull foe books according to
foe courses students are registered for,”
Schroeder said.
Jackie Beiriger, a sophomore inter
national business major, said she was
frustrated with high prices after buying
a Spanish book at the University
Bookstore.
Had she shopped online, Beiriger
said, she would have saved nearly $15
on the same book.
Beiriger said she felt university
prices were sometimes unfair but
would continue to buy from foe cam
pus store because she is able to put her
bookstore charges on her university
centralized bill.
“It’s more convenient that way,”
she said.
Still, online shopping may be the
better choice, Beiriger said.
“I went to the bookstore three
times this week, and my books weren’t
in yet,” she said. “I feel like it’s very
disorganized that you have to keep
going in there.”
Online shopping can sometimes be
deceiving, according to Schroeder.
While the University Bookstore
offers used books, online services pro
vide only new books. Therefore, the
two have basically the same prices,
Schroeder said.
“They say their prices are less, but
if you’re able to get used books from
us, it at least comes out to a wash with
the other services.”
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ASUN
distributes
reference
brochures
By Veronica Daehn
Staff writer
It will soon be a little easier for
new students to navigate campus.
Thanks to the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Quick Reference
Guide, distributed by die Association
of Students of the University of
Nebraska, students will no longer
have to search for the information
they need.
“We want new students and trans
fer students to know about the ser
vices available to them,” said Vicki
Geiser, the ASUN senator who con
ceived the idea.
The free brochure covers eight
areas including housing, involve
ment opportunities and health and
wellness.
For each category, there are com
mon questions and the place students
should contact to fmd die answer.
The back of the guide contains a
list of frequentlyused university
phone numbers, addresses and Web
sites, as well as information about
ASUN.
Five thousand copies are being
distributed across campus, and
ASUN will continue to hand out
brochures today and Friday from 11
a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Nebraska Union.
After that, guides will be avail
able in the ASUN office, 136
Nebraska Union.
The brochure is free to students
because of a sponsorship between
ASUN and Printing and Copy
Services at UNL.
Geiser said she hopes to get the
guides out to all new students.
“It really helps them because it
has a lot of questions that are com
mon or questions they may not feel
comfortable asking,” she said.