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College can be an expensive experience even if you don't attend a high priced, top shelf institution. A major reason the price tag of attendance can quickly shoot through the roof is the cost of text books. Yes, textbooks can take a big bite out of your wallet. Everyone who has ever attended college or currently attends knows that each class usually requires its own textbook(s). With every new edition of the required text the price seems to simply skyrocket. Costs can add up quickly especially if you are a full time student who needs books for each of the four to six classes you're taking. Are there any ways in which you can bring down your book bill?

Sure, in an ideal world the only solution to high cost of textbooks would be that someone somewhere would call a halt to burdening students with astronomical costs connected to this necessity. But barring this miracle, there are several methods of gaining access to the book(s) needed for a particular class. At some institutions professors who are conscious of the wide range of income levels among students may request that the campus library carry at least one copy of the necessary texts so that students can reserve the item for use for short periods of time during library hours. On the other hand, depending on the library resources you might be allowed to keep the book for a longer length of time say a couple of days.

Networking can also be a great way to gain access to a book for no fee. When you go the networking route you may be able to convince another student to loan you there text for review for a short period of time. Another no fee idea may include borrowing the book from an upperclassman or from a friend who has already completed the course. Some other resourceful people may decide that to keep their budget they would rather exchange the text with a friend or other students who might need books they have.

However, borrowing books whether it be from friends or from the library does have some drawbacks. The most obvious of these is the inconvenience of having to share the book. If you need to access it at the library others may have already checked out the tome. Also, most libraries will restrict how long you may have the book for your use and where you may use the copy they supply you, usually it will have to be within the confines of the library. If you borrow from a friend or other student they may also place restrictions on when you use it and the length of time. Additionally, if you use someone else's

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