Any web sites to purchase instead of rent e-textbooks?

by LCinTraining
  3,081 Views   21 Comments

  1. All I seem to find are rentals, and renting them for the duration I need the books will end up costing me more than less in the long run. I guess I can do it, but we were told these books would follow us through the two year program, so I may not get a second textbook list.
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  2. 21 Comments

    Comment
  3. by blurredyearning
    Aug 9, '12
    Elsevier offers digital texts though their Pageburst service. It's a free app called VitalSource for Android and iOS devices. There's also an app for the Kindle Fire, but it's not in the app store. (Gotta go to the VitalSource website to get it.)

    Pageburst Store - Digital Textbooks and Educational Materials

    That's the digital text store, so you can see what texts are available. Everything listed is for purchase, but there are a few rentals too.
  4. by LCinTraining
    Aug 9, '12
    Vital Source said they only offer 180 day rentals. I need my textbooks for 2 years or longer (depending on if I need to refresh things to sit the GRE for grad school).
  5. by SC4Nurse2B
    Aug 9, '12
    I used textbooks.com, but there is also half.com and Barnes and Noble. Oh, and Amazon. All of these places offer new and used books. I did a lot of shopping and got some good deals. Many were cheaper than the college bookstore. I had to really take some time and compare though. A couple of our books we had to buy at the college bookstore because they were bundled with other things, so no way around it. Good luck finding what you need.
  6. by SC4Nurse2B
    Aug 9, '12
    Duh..You said E-textbooks. Sorry. :uhoh21:
  7. by pinayluv78
    Aug 10, '12
    I haven't had much luck finding my textbooks in ebook version. There are a few on amazon but I don't really like the kindle format because there is no option to print ( as far as I know). Then there is coursesmart (but I'm not sure if it is for purchase or rent).
  8. by LCinTraining
    Aug 10, '12
    Coursesmart is 6-12 month rentals. :/
  9. by luixbeauty
    Aug 11, '12
    I got all my books (beside the huge bundle) from Amazon and Ebay. For example my college bookstore wanted $30 for an lpn clinical pocket guide....I got it brand new on Ebay for $8..The college bookstores are ridiculous!
  10. by LCinTraining
    Aug 11, '12
    Which I'd do, but I don't want hard copies. I want as many for my iPad as possible to reduce the strain on my back carrying them back and forth to school and work.
  11. by BloopBloop
    Aug 12, '12
    I know it may seem easier to carry around e-books, but I personally wouldnt recommend it. May I suggest an alternative? From my experience, I started NS not knowing that these books would be a part of me life, so I rented my first batch which was a big mistake since it already had markings all over it to distract me from what I thought would be important. And second, I would end up doing my own markings on the page with highlights, and personal mnemonics for that particular part of the reading. Having a physical book in hand, you can go go through the pages you need to refer to much quicker (IMO.)

    If you want to reduce the strain on your back, I suggest taking your books to a local FedEx Kinkos, where they can cut the spine off your book and drill holes in it. The textbook can then be placed into a 2-3" binder to keep at home, and take out only the necessary pages for your class. I place the reading material in 1/2" binders and add on any handouts, and review notes I've made for that unit. My bag is very light this way. We have a unit exam every month, so after each exam, I transfer the contents into a separate 2" binder which ends up being my Final exam study binder. Its got everything we've studied, all the notes, and handouts for the entire semester all in one place-- instead of having to dig back. This is probably the best benefit to me.

    So in short, I work the semester with 3 binders.
    1) To place my textbook 2-3"
    2) Place for my assigned reading material/handouts/notes 1/2"
    3) Final exam binder 2"

    It seems like a lot, but in the end, I think the act of clearing out my unit binder for the new material psychologically refreshes me after the mental strain of studying for each exam. I also feel proud of the work I've done when looking at my bookcase, just someof the little things that I find keeps motivating me.

    DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR NOTES OR HANDOUTS! I've got 11 binders so far, not counting the ones I'll make for this semester. I have purchased a bookcase from IKEA about 40 bucks on sale to place all my binders, so I can refer back to them when I get to my NCLEX exam. Organization will help you get through nursing school and your boards.

    To have the spine chopped off is about 1.50, and in NYC the holes drilled would cost 0.05 per sheet, everything done in less than 3 min-- or you can punch holes yourself for free. I find it takes about 15min to punch yourself, but its all up to you. If you're lucky, you can catch staples or your local office supply store during a binder clearance. Mine had binders for 25 cents each, great condition.
  12. by Esme12
    Aug 12, '12
    Quote from BloopBloop
    I know it may seem easier to carry around e-books, but I personally wouldn't recommend it. May I suggest an alternative? From my experience, I started NS not knowing that these books would be a part of me life, so I rented my first batch which was a big mistake since it already had markings all over it to distract me from what I thought would be important. And second, I would end up doing my own markings on the page with highlights, and personal mnemonics for that particular part of the reading. Having a physical book in hand, you can go go through the pages you need to refer to much quicker (IMO.)

    If you want to reduce the strain on your back, I suggest taking your books to a local FedEx Kinkos, where they can cut the spine off your book and drill holes in it. The textbook can then be placed into a 2-3" binder to keep at home, and take out only the necessary pages for your class. I place the reading material in 1/2" binders and add on any handouts, and review notes I've made for that unit. My bag is very light this way. We have a unit exam every month, so after each exam, I transfer the contents into a separate 2" binder which ends up being my Final exam study binder. Its got everything we've studied, all the notes, and handouts for the entire semester all in one place-- instead of having to dig back. This is probably the best benefit to me.

    So in short, I work the semester with 3 binders.
    1) To place my textbook 2-3"
    2) Place for my assigned reading material/handouts/notes 1/2"
    3) Final exam binder 2"

    It seems like a lot, but in the end, I think the act of clearing out my unit binder for the new material psychologically refreshes me after the mental strain of studying for each exam. I also feel proud of the work I've done when looking at my bookcase, just some of the little things that I find keeps motivating me.

    DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR NOTES OR HANDOUTS! I've got 11 binders so far, not counting the ones I'll make for this semester. I have purchased a bookcase from IKEA about 40 bucks on sale to place all my binders, so I can refer back to them when I get to my NCLEX exam. Organization will help you get through nursing school and your boards.

    To have the spine chopped off is about 1.50, and in NYC the holes drilled would cost 0.05 per sheet, everything done in less than 3 min-- or you can punch holes yourself for free. I find it takes about 15min to punch yourself, but its all up to you. If you're lucky, you can catch staples or your local office supply store during a binder clearance. Mine had binders for 25 cents each, great condition.
    OP....excellent advice!!!!! Especially if you are considering your Advanced degree!!! It's a investment in your future.
  13. by Stephalump
    Aug 12, '12
    Rolling backpack!
  14. by StarBrownRN
    Aug 12, '12
    Most of the Elsevier books are available for full purchase in VitalSource format. For some reason, there are certain titles that are rental only. If you need something that's on CourseSmart, try looking at buying just the access codes--they come with the eBook and it's not a rental. Or CengageBrain.com's digital products (not the eBooks, those are rentals).

    Personally, an iPad and eBooks have changed my life. They are just as easy to use (and maybe even easier) as hard copies. Once you get the hang of it, the search features, bookmarking and highlighting can't be beat. (Try erasing a misplaced highlight in a hard copy.) Some even let you take notes. You can also use the glossary and other features right there. No more dragging 5 books to class, then realizing you forgot a book. Trying to read the hard copy of an 1100 pg book was torture. Heaven forbid the teacher referenced more than one text during lecture. And after spending $145 for a book, I can't imagine letting Kinkos cut off the spine and hole punch it. Plus, with eBooks, I can discreetly study anytime, anywhere.

    Another avenue to consider is just searching for a PDF copy of the textbook (you'd be surprised what you find) and loading it in iBooks. Save your back and your sanity!

    Sent from my iPad using allnurses.com
    Last edit by StarBrownRN on Aug 12, '12

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