Monday, Sep 14, 2015
More than 100 books available to use for most freshmen courses
by Adam Grybowski
Rider University has launched a pilot called the Textbook Reserve Program that provides students access to books required for most freshmen courses (100 level).
The goal of the program is to help reduce some of the expenses incurred through the purchase of required course materials, as well as to increase access to the books they need for their academic success.
This program was initiated by President Gregory G. Dell’Omo, Ph.D. “This program is a positive step to reduce out of pocket expenses for students,” he says. “My hope is that this pilot will become a robust and fully implemented service available to help our students every semester.”
More than 100 books are now available in the reserve sections of both the Moore Library on the Lawrenceville campus and the Talbott Library on the Princeton campus.
To take advantage of the program, students must present their Rider ID cards to a librarian at the Circulation Desk. Textbooks may be signed out in two-hour increments for use within the libraries, though they cannot be checked out.
To increase the effectiveness of the program by making more books available, faculty have been encouraged to claim all desk copies that are due and donate those they don't need to the libraries. Monetary donations are also being accepted for future purchases.
Depending on the response to this pilot, this program may extend beyond freshman-level courses in the future.
“This pilot promises to benefit our students, and I hope to see it grow so even more students can take advantage of it in the future,” says Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs DonnaJean Fredeen.
The pilot was made possible through the generous support of Enrollment Management, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, the Rider University Barnes & Noble bookstore and individual donors.
If you have any questions about the Textbook Reserve Program, please contact Robert J. Lackie, chairperson of the Moore Library, at [email protected] or Mi-Hye Chyun, chairperson of Talbott Library, at [email protected].