Find It for Free

According to a report by the College Board, the average estimated student budget for course texts and materials at a private four year university is $1,240. 

While not every student will spend $1,240, some students will spend that much or more on course materials each year. 

This guide is meant to introduce some strategies for acquiring course materials for free, and some things students can do to try to reduce the cost of course materials for themselves and others.

"Course Reserves" is when the library owns a copy of the course material and the faculty 'reserves' it for their students for the semester. 

This means that anyone can check it out for limited periods of time so multiple people can share this copy of the work. Please keep in mind that loan periods are short, and fines accrue quickly. 

This works best for:

• Anything other than electronic textbooks, access codes, and streaming-only resources.

Keep in mind:

• Loan periods for physical reserves are much shorter (usually 2 hours) than other library materials.
• Return your reserves! If it’s overdue, it will accrue a fine every hour til returned. If you reach the fine limit, you will be blocked from the library system until your return.
• If you don’t return a reserves item, you could be in violation of  Academic Honesty.

It is possible that UR Libraries owns a copy of a book that has not been put on course reserve. Search the library's catalog to check! Be sure to match title and publisher to the book mentioned in your syllabus; editions may be updated but the content should be only slightly modified (check with your professor!)

As a resident of Rochester you can get a Monroe County Library card by going to any Monroe County Library System location.

Anyone who lives or goes to school in New York State is eligible for a New York Public Library digital library card. Visit the New York Public Library’s website to get started.

This works best for:

• Fiction books, popular books, collections.
• You are less likely to successfully find more traditional "textbook-textbooks" that are typically used in 100-level courses and STEM courses.

Keep in mind:

• Ebooks can be 'borrowed' for several hours at a time. We purchase multiple/unlimited user ebooks whenever possible but there is a small chance you can be blocked from access if too many people are trying to access the same work.
• Print books from University of Rochester are typically due at the end of the semester. There is a small chance your checkout will be 'recalled' and the due date will be moved up (example: your professor wants to put the book on course reserve).
• Books from Monroe Country public libraries will have shorter loan periods. 

There are many organizations and people seeking to make information more accessible and more widely available. Here are a few resources that you can search:

This works best for:

• Classics that are no longer under copyright protection in the US (in the Public Domain), things originally published in 1929 or earlier. 
• More recent popular, mass market, and academic works may be available, especially in the Open Library

Keep in mind:

• Copyright litigation related to the status of the Open Library is ongoing.