Can Faculty Help Lower the Cost of Course Materials? YES!!

SFU Bookstore operates on a cost recovery basis while maintaining affordable course materials for students. We recommend the following practices to faculty to help lower the cost of the course materials.

Good

Re-Adopt: When faculty reuse the same textbooks, we are able to buy used books from students. Buyback puts over one million dollars back into student's pockets each year and ensures used books are available for the next semester. [Please note: Textbook Buyback is temporarily suspended until further notice]

Plus, when faculty notify us before the target date of a readoption, we avoid returning unsold copies of books. This reduces our shipping costs, translating into savings for students.

Order On Time: Make sure to submit your textbook adoptions on time. This ensures we are able to have your books on the shelf before the first day of classes. Additionally, if we receive a late adoption, it is challenging for the Bookstore to buy back enough used copies for the next semester.

Better

Avoid Publisher Custom Books: Custom books created by publishers are often more expensive than normal textbooks. Additionally, SFU Bookstore is only able to return 10% of a custom book orders. As a result, unsold custom books that are not readopted often result in losses to the Bookstore which must be absorbed by future sales.

Question Bundling: Bundles including the book and access code don't necessarily translate to savings for students. Before you adopt a required book in a bundle, you can always talk to us to ensure this is the best financial option for students. Publishers try to prohibit the sale of used books by offering the book with an access code, but if you do not require the access code, we can still make used copies available.

Best

Course Packs: Faculty personally selects relevant material from a variety of sources including articles, paragraphs, chapters of books, etc. SFU Bookstore compiles and organizes the material, then researches and pays the required copyright fees. The package is printed on campus thereby eliminating shipping costs and preventing the costs associated with over ordered and unsold books. In addition, course packs save your students money because the course readings are available in one book.

Digital Course Materials and eBooks: Not only do you save money by buying an e-text compared to a physical textbook, it contributes to student affordability, sustainability, provides instantaneous access for your first day of classes, no delivery wait times, and it's never out of stock!