Textbook Rental Program Coming to Barnes & Noble at UNC Charlotte

Barnes & Noble at UNC Charlotte will provide a textbook rental option for the upcoming, Fall 2010 semester. The new program will allow students to rent textbooks for 45 percent of the cost of purchasing a new textbook.

Students will be able to rent books in the store or from the bookstore’s Web site, http://uncc.bncollege.com.

The new rental option is a cooperative commitment between UNC Charlotte Business Services and Barnes & Noble College Booksellers for textbook affordability.

Textbook rental program features:

• Rental period is for the duration of the semester. Books are due back at the bookstore ten days after the last day of finals. Students can return the books in person or mail them to the bookstore.
• Students may highlight or mark the rented books just as they would a purchased book with plans to sell it back.
• Students may pay the rental fees by cash, check, credit, debit, 49er Account or Barnes & Noble gift cards. (For security purposes, a valid credit card must also be provided regardless of the rental payment method).
• Students may convert their rental to a purchase during the first two weeks of class.
• An e-mail to remind students to return their books will be sent near the end of the semester. Books not returned, or returned in unsalable condition, will be subject to replacement and processing fees.

“UNC Charlotte is dedicated to giving our students as many options as possible and to let students drive the decisions about textbook affordability,” said Karen Natale, the University’s bookstore and licensing contract manager. “Whether they want new, used, digital, open source, or rentable textbooks, it’s all available at the University.”