To support the curriculum of courses in both on-ground and online academic departments, the library attempts to purchase titles listed as "required" as submitted to the bookstore. Items not submitted to the bookstore according to the Textbook Submission Policy will not be purchased. The Library pulls the required booklists for a term the day after the final submission dates listed in the Textbook and Course Material Submission Policy. It immediately begins reviewing the lists in preparation for the next term.
As a digital-first library, the library only purchases physical copies of textbooks as a last resort when an ebook is unavailable or the cost is prohibitive. Where an ebook is not available under the following criteria, print books will be purchased if possible and held on reserve for a 3-hour, on-campus use loan in accordance with the library's Circulation Policy.
*Larger purchases may be made on a case-by-case basis with the approval of the University Librarian.
Library ebooks are often more accessible than their print counterpart and can provide greater access to all students. All ebook platforms provided by the library are a minimum of WCAG 2.0 compliant. For additional information, please refer to our Library Accessibility page on eBooks.
A department that would like to provide additional services outside of those outlined here are welcome to order additional physical copies of a text from its budget. Required texts purchased by departments can either be donated to the library to supplement the reserves (becoming library-owned) or maintained separately from the library's collections and maintained by the academic department's staff. Library-purchased materials are only to be managed by the library on behalf of the university.
The library does not guarantee access to all required texts. Ultimately, academic departments are responsible for ensuring that they are choosing materials that are cost effective for students. The library does offer consultation with any faculty members who are responsible for choosing course materials. Our library staff is happy to check whether a title can be purchased as a library ebook before adoption, or to offer alternative titles that are more cost-effective for students. Faculty should email libraryhelp@thechicagoschool.edu for assistance.
