Student Guide to Undergraduate Course Materials

This guide was created for undergraduate students who would like to find out the different choices they have for obtaining course materials for their classes at UNM. You're never required to buy all your books at the bookstore.

The college textbook industry has a long and complicated history. A couple of quick facts about it include that between the 1980s and early 2000s, textbook prices increased at 3-4 times the rate of inflation. Also, publishers have disproportionate power to set prices because faculty assign these books while students pay the price, and that's one reason you may have heard the phrase, "the broken textbook market."

This libguide is intended to help you make an informed decision about where to obtain your course materials whether at the library, through the bookstore, or on the web.

Check out this video about OER (Open Educational Resources) - Amy Winehouse "Rehab" Parody, which encourages students to know more about their textbook options.

Textbooks Aren't Free, Unless They Are Open © 2025 by Samantha Williams is licensed under CC BY 4.0 

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