Books and e-Books: Textbooks

The University Bookstore, operated by Barnes & Noble, has the official textbooks for UToledo classes. They have both new and used textbooks for sale, they also offer options for renting textbooks for the semester or purchasing e-books.  You can use their Customized Textbook List to create a list of books for your classes, and then check out the other options on this page for comparison shopping.  Remember, the UToledo Bookstore will price match Amazon, BN.com and local competitors.

We do have some course textbooks available on course reserve for limited-time use.  The library buys some textbooks for popular introductory classes, and course instructors can place copies of their textbooks on reserve for classes.  Use the search box below to search by Professor or by Course Number. More information is available in the Course Reserves Libguide.

Some things to remember:

• Most textbooks can be checked out for only 2 hours at a time.  Overdue fines are $1.00 per item per hour.
• Not all courses will have textbooks on reserve.
• You cannot place a hold on reserve items.
• There are only a limited number of copies on reserve for your entire class to use.

Your books may also be available for check out in our general collections, but we do not regularly buy required textbooks for classes to add to our collections.  However, works of literature and other works may be part of our collections.  Search our library catalog to see.

The UToledo Libraries are part of a network of over 85 other college and university libraries in Ohio that all share our resources.  Sometimes you can borrow a textbook from another library to use during the semester.  Step-by-step instruction on borrowing from OhioLINK can be found on the Borrowing LibGuide.

Please keep the following restrictions in mind:

• A Keyword search using author AND words from the title is usually the best way to find your books.  Be aware that there may be multiple editions and publication years... typically the newest editions are harder to get a hold of.  Ask your instructor if an older edition is acceptable.
• You can also search by ISBN, but be aware that an ISBN refers not only to a specific edition/year of a book, but also to the specific binding... so the hardcover ISBN will not find a paperback copy of the same book.
• Textbooks borrowed from other OhioLINK libraries can be checked out for only 3 weeks at first.  You may renew the item up to 6 times (21 weeks total) as long as no one at the original library needs it back.  If your book is requested by someone at the original library, you will not be able to renew and will be out of a textbook in the middle of the semester!
  
• Current editions of textbooks at other schools may be on Course Reserve for their students and not available to borrow.
• Fines for OhioLINK books that are overdue are 50 cents per day per book.

There are some electronic books that may be free for your use... many older works of fiction that are no longer under copyright, for example, may be available from multiple sources.  Or, some textbooks are 'Open', meaning that the producers of the textbook have released them without retaining certain rights, making them free for educational use and re-use.  You should also check out our Electronic Books LibGuide for sources of ebooks that we already subscribe to.  See details of each service to see what download or e-book reader options are available from each.

Note: The University of Toledo Libraries does not endorse any of these online retailers, but provides this information as a referral for our students.  Please remember to comparison shop and investigate any online retailer and their policies before buying from them.

Note: The University of Toledo Libraries does not endorse any of these online retailers, but provides this information as a referral for our students.  Please remember to comparison shop and investigate any online retailer and their policies before buying from them.

Note: The University of Toledo Libraries does not endorse any of these online retailers, but provides this information as a referral for our students.  Please remember to comparison shop and investigate any online retailer and their policies before buying from them.