Physical Course Materials

Required Texts/Reserve Purchasing Guidelines

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.

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.

Purchasing Criteria

1. Currency
   • The book must have been published in the last 5 years
   • The library only purchases the most recent edition of a title
2. Availability
   • The library only purchases ebooks unless the title is not made available in an electronic format for library purchase by the publisher
   • The library does not purchase physical copies of required texts in unbound or "loose-leaf" format. If a title is not available in a bound (hardcover or softcover) format, it cannot be purchased for physical course reserve
3. Cost
   • The library will purchase ebooks that cost no more than $500*
   • The library will purchase physical copies of required texts that cost no more than $250*

*Larger purchases may be made on a case-by-case basis with the approval of the University Librarian.

eBook Accessibility

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.

Additional Information

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.

Disclaimer

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.