In general, Bertrand Library, like many libraries, does not collect required course textbooks. Textbooks often go out-of-date quickly, and are only available to one student at a time. Similarly, requesting textbooks via interlibrary loan (ILL) is not feasible; ILL is intended for short loans to supplement a library's collection. The average loan length is four weeks.
If you are a faculty member and want to discuss your options for putting a textbook on reserve, please reach out to the Scholarly Communications team: scholarlycommunications@bucknell.edu and/or your subject librarian.
Faculty may place a personal or demonstration copy on reserve so that students who cannot afford to purchase may borrow them to complete assigned readings. Please use this form to request that items be placed on reserve. You may also check the library’s catalog (http://bucknell.on.worldcat.org) to see if the library already owns a print or e-book copy of course texts.
Faculty looking for alternative options to traditional commercial textbooks can find helpful information about Open Educational Resources on our guide to Finding and Evaluating OER. If you adopt an open textbook, students should be able to access a free copy online, or a printed version (via the bookstore).
If you are a student having financial difficulties purchasing your required textbooks, please contact the Office of Financial Aid and the Dean of Students office to investigate any options you may have.