There are some professors that have thought ahead and worked to minimize costs. For example, limited numbers of books are on closed-reserve at the Library. Over in our mother country, things are handled slightly differently. Lancaster University has a short-term loan facility, allowing all students access to the appropriate required texts for limited periods of time. Although there is a hefty late-fee for tardy returns, the system has proved successful.
Students can check out books for their classes without ever hurting their pocketbook.
Many St. Olaf students return from Lancaster content knowing their tuition money was sufficient for their education and puzzled that their own institution doesn't follow suit. It's time for students to question their professors' text selection method. It's also time for professors to look at the dollar amount attached to what reading they assign. And it's even time for the school to consider creating a short-loan system. . .