The
early bird catches the worm
Rachel
Moten
On
Aug. 14, more than 7,500 pre-packaged, reserved boxes were
stacked high to the ceiling in the back of Brady Commons Food
Court. Staff waited for eager students to file into the room
to retrieve their textbooks for the fall semester. Those who
decided to order their books early were able to get most of
their required books for class. This special event, which
began in 1992, is Early Bird Reservation.
Early
Bird Reservation is offered to students twice a year and students
can order their books online or during Summer Welcome. About
90 percent of freshmen and 3,000 other students take advantage
of this deal. Every year, MU has found a way to enhance the
program.
 |
| More
than 7,500 students took advantage of the Early Bird textbook
reservation system this year saving themselves the hassle
of searching for textbooks after classes began.
Photo by Kyle Spradley. |
Early
Bird advertised the new and used books for several years,
but this semester MU also offered digital textbooks, which
is provided by the Missouri Book Services. Students buy the
digital books and get a code to activate them. Students can
use the books only on their own computers. They can order
the books online, but once students purchase, the books are
theirs and are not eligible for refunds.
Advantages
for using the digital books are: it's cheaper, easy to use,
designed to have a back up if the student's computer crashes
and has features such as read-out-loud, text searching and
note taking. Some of the drawbacks to using digital books
are: sometimes a student can’t print all the pages they
need, the books expire within 12 months and are developed
as a one-time download.
The digital
is “beginning to be more popular, but students still
like to highlight,” said Public Relations Manager Michelle
Froese. “It’s a matter of preference, some students
like the portability of it.”
Many students
would not want to purchase the digital books because they
like to have a book in front of them to reference, which helps
some study and learn. Kimberly John, MU freshman agribusiness
management major, said, “If it’s on the Internet,
I’ll start playing games on there.”
While
digital books are the latest addition to the Early Bird Reservation,
students still are drawn to the program for its other advantages.
This program is geared toward students to purchase used books
at a 25 percent discount. Students can also buy new textbooks.
The advantage students get from Early Bird is it saves time
because they do not have to search for their textbooks.
“I
think it’s a lot easier moving in,” said Brianne
Nadolny, a MU sophomore nursing major. The books are already
packed, so it gives students “their first crack at purchasing
books,” stated Public Relations Manager Michelle Froese.
The disadvantage
lies within the bookstore because having the program is very
expensive. Extra temporary employees have to be hired, the
boxes purchased are expensive and the area they use in Brady
Commons takes up a lot of physical space.
Although
Early Bird helps students save money for used books, some
students aren’t able to experience the benefits because
they have to purchase new books. For instance, more of the
engineering, health and journalism majors keep their books
for future reference, so it is hard to find used books for
students who are enrolling in those classes, said Froese.
Kadian
Brown, MU freshman biochemistry major, said she “spent
over $400 for her books” for this semester.
MU has
been doing Early Bird for 11 years. When the bookstore doubled
its size in 1997, MU created an easier transition and alleviated
stress by prepackaging textbooks for students.
Students can’t
complain too much because they still have the convenience
of not having to search for their own books, which is one
less thing they have to worry about for the beginning of the
school year.
For more
information about digital textbooks, visit the MU
Bookstore Web site.
