Unbinding books?

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I've almost finished accumulating the books that I'm going to need for nursing school this fall (I start my ADN program on August 19th), and even though there are a couple books that haven't been delivered yet I already have almost fifty pounds of books! :yikes: My cousin told me that what he did in pharmacy school was to get his books unbound and then just take the chapters he needed to class with him (he kept the unbound books in sheet protectors in three-ring binders). Personally I think that this is a great idea and am heavily leaning toward doing that with my nursing texts, but I was wondering if anyone else has done this and how well it worked? I'm a bit worried that I'm going to unbind all my books and then discover that it really doesn't work well.

Thanks everyone for your responses! :-) I have really appreciated hearing everyone's opinion and experience on this. I've decided that I'll wait until after the first few weeks of class to see if I need to bring my books on a regular basis - if thats needed then I'll get them unbound.

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Had a smaller clinical book cut and spiraled for like $5.

This is a great idea!! I think I'm going to do this with the smaller clinical book that I have. (That is, as long as I find a place that will put on the spiral binding...Office Max has told me that they will unbind textbooks, I'll have to check if they'll do this, as well). Thanks!

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Specializes in critcal care, CRNA.

This is a great idea!! I think I'm going to do this with the smaller clinical book that I have. (That is, as long as I find a place that will put on the spiral binding...Office Max has told me that they will unbind textbooks, I'll have to check if they'll do this, as well). Thanks!

That's where I got mine done at. So much easier to open a book and leave flat when needing to walk away from it.

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I leave all of my books in my car! Sounds crazy but a friend of mine did it simply because she was too lazy to always carry them back and forth from class to her car into her apartment but I thought it was a great idea. I'll throw them in my car in the morning (I never take them into lecture) and if I have time to study between classes or after clinical I just have to run to my car to get the book I need! They are always with me but I don't have to carry them in my backpack all day if I don't need them.

Keep your doors locked! :)

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Specializes in medical.

The idea of tearing up a book gives me the shudders!

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

Thank you so much for this type of discussion back and forth.

I just checked on selling books I purchased and used over the summer; most where used, but some I was in a position where I had to buy new. The resale, for bound books, was horrendous. $70 paid for a used biology book; Amazon would buy it for $8.75 (other places were about $2). New Psychology book, $129.75. One of the book sites would give me $4.75 for it.

Sadly, the college I'm attending switched to newer versions; so selling it to other students for a bit more (i.e. $20 for the Psychology book) may not happen.

So I'm not sure how unbinding books could make it any worse.

Will the places that unbind also three hole punch it for you? If yes, what's the going rate to unbind a book, and three hole punch it given approximately 1,000 to 1,300 pages?

Thank you.

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GoWill the places that unbind also three hole punch it for you? If yes, what's the going rate to unbind a book, and three hole punch it given approximately 1,000 to 1,300 pages?

Thank you.

I believe so, yes. Office Max told me that they would unbind and 3-hole punch textbooks for approx $2.50 each. They didn't give me a maximum page limit, rather they said they could do anything up to 2 inches.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I think this is an amazing idea and wish I had heard of it years ago.

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