Textbook Rental Now Available at Park Place

It is a well-known fact that the price of college is increasing every year. A student can expect to spend at least $200 for four or five books he or she may never even open.

According to the Nation Association of College Stores, 65 percent of students do not buy all of their textbooks. Fortunately, there is another option: textbook rental.

Ronald Atkins and Stephen Watkins, graduates of Middle Tennessee State University, set up mybookhead.com to fill a niche in the college textbook market for those who buy a textbook and then use it one or twice a semester.

"We've found that many students in certain classes only use their books a few times during the semester," said Watkins.

The cost of these rentals can be as low as five percent of the purchase price. A student wishing to rent a textbook must go to mybookhead.com and create an account. Then, he or she can choose the book he or she needs, and pay for it on the website with a credit or debit card. Afterwards, the student must go to the appropriate bookstore with receipt in hand in order to retrieve the book. After three days the book is returned or automatically re-rented for another three days.

Student reaction has been remarkable. Students in a recently posted YouTube advertisement for the website said what mybookhead.com is a good bargain.

"$10 For three days? That's not bad," said one reviewer. One student remarked "A $100 textbook, rent it for $10, that's a $90 difference. That's 45 lunches!"

Other reasons students give for their willingness to rent textbooks are a lack of hassle, textbook theft, and unique teaching styles of professors, which may leave out a costly textbook entirely.

A popular Facebook group, called "I didn't know I could rent my textbooks," has arisen from this website, in which Atkins and Watkins created and participate. The website's mascot, John Bookhead, appears in several videos, in which he not only sings the praises of mybookhead.com, but also makes comical commentaries on college life, such as how to "get in good with the ladies in college." Another video has Mr. Bookhead dancing at a fraternity lip-synch show. Clearly, the popularity of the site and its mascot are beginning to spread.

On the GSU campus, the Park Place Bookstore has entered into a partnership with mybookhead.com to offer three-day textbook rentals. Hopefully, student awareness of this issue will continue to grow and will allow more Panthers to keep their hard earned cash for food and recreation, instead of on textbooks that may only be used twice.

The Park Place Bookstore is located at 22 Park Place South.