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Library Services for Faculty & Staff

Important Library information for faculty and staff.

Requesting Textbooks for Purchase at the Bookstore

Faculty may request textbooks for upcoming courses at any time. Students can then purchase the textbooks from the Harrisburg University Bookstore. Also included on this page are recommendations for alternative cost-saving options for course materials.

All textbook requests must be submitted for each term that textbooks are needed EVEN IF THERE ARE NO CHANGES FROM PRIOR SEMESTERS using the Textbook Request Form.


Due to federal financial aid requirements, all required textbooks that must be purchased should be made available at the bookstore, even if alternative purchase options are available. To save students money, consider open access and Library-provided materials instead.

Page Contents:

Is the Textbook Already Available through the Library?
While the Harrisburg University Library does not collect print copies of textbooks, we do provide access to many electronic copies of textbooks and other course materials through prior individual purchase and subscriptions. Some of these provide annotation and mark-up features. Before you require students to purchase a textbook, search these resources to see if you can save students the full cost of some of these materials.

  • EBSCO Discovery Service: Search for individually purchased books. If you find a book you want to use and it has simultaneous user restrictions, contact the library to upgrade the title to unlimited simultaneous users. Titles are routinely added to our holdings.
  • Textbook Databases: Several of the Library's Databases provide course textbooks. To search these databases:
    • Go to the A-Z Databases page. (Browse Databases from the Library's home page.)
    • Change the second dropdown menu from "All Database Types" to "Textbooks".
    • You can then search the textbook providers that align with your program. 

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Open Access Textbooks
There are a number of Open Access repositories that offer textbooks for free adoption that are curated on the Library's databases page. To access these repositories:

  • Go to the A-Z Databases page. (Or use the Browse Databases link from the Library's home page.)
  • Change the second dropdown menu from "All Database Types" to "Textbooks".
  • You can then search the textbook providers that align with your program. 

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Institutional Licenses Through the Library
An institutional license is required for eBooks when access for the entire community is desired. Institutional licenses are far more expensive than copies sold to individuals. While some textbook publishers provide licensing for libraries, many do not.

The Library does not collect print copies of textbooks.


The Library will purchase e-versions of textbooks when: 

  • An institutional license is available
  • A one-time payment provides perpetual access (i.e. license/access does not expire after a set time)
  • The license provides for multiple simultaneous users, not just one user who locks access until they "return" it
  • Restrictions on downloading the content are not excessively prohibitive

Institutional licensing prices are usually clearly delineated from individual pricing on the textbook's sales page as shown in the example below. If you are not sure whether a publisher provides institutional licensing for a textbook you want the Library to acquire, email the library for assistance. 

Textbook Request Process

To submit a textbook order request, use the Textbook Request Form.


Textbooks needed for courses must be submitted four to six weeks before the course opens for registration. As with all colleges and universities that receive federal student financial aid, Harrisburg University is legally required to notify students of their textbook listings when registration opens. Requests that are not submitted by deadline may not be available in time for the opening of registration, which is a violation of financial aid requirements and may result in students receiving their textbooks weeks after the course begins.

All textbook requests must be submitted each semester, even if there are no changes from previous semesters.


Please note:

  • A separate form must be completed for each textbook request. 
  • If the same book is needed for multiple courses, submit a separate request for each course
  • If the same book is needed for multiple sections of a course, submit a separate request for each section.
  • Textbook forms do not need to be submitted if no textbooks are required for the upcoming term.
  • Desk/Review copies must be requested by the course instructor directly from the book's publisher. They are not made available to library staff in order to prevent cataloging and lending. Some publishers prevent textbook donations to libraries.

Textbook Request Schedule

For planning purposes, deadlines for textbook requests for the academic year are as follows (use the following business day if the deadline falls on a non-business day):

Semester Registration Opens Deadline to Request Textbooks
Fall July 29 June 27
Late Fall September 23 August 20
Spring November 12 October 15
Late Spring February 4 January 7
Summer April 8 March 11
Late Summer June 3 May 6

What if Ambassador Cannot Supply a Book?
If Ambassador cannot supply the textbook you requested, try the following:

Textbook FAQs

Why does the textbook deadline not align with the deadline for course proposals and confirmation deadlines from Records and Registration? 
Unfortunately, we may experience incongruence between textbook deadlines and confirmation of teaching assignments for some terms, though the dates should be within the same general timeframe.

Ambassador has strict deadlines for textbook requests. This is so that they can ensure that textbooks are available in the format and edition needed and that they can be delivered on time for the opening of course registration. The deadline for faculty to submit textbooks requests is cut as close to Ambassador's deadline as possible.  

Can I list materials in the syllabus and tell students to buy them on Amazon or through a second hand provider? 
No. Harrisburg University, as with all colleges and universities that receive federal student financial aid, is legally required to notify students of their textbook listings when registration opens. Students do not get access to your syllabus until much later than this, which, in addition to the legal violation, may also result in students receiving their textbooks weeks after the course begins. Textbooks must be available at the bookstore even if students choose not to buy them there.

What is the relationship between purchasing textbooks and financial aid?
Students who receive financial aid assistance may be provided with vouchers for required book purchasing. These vouchers can only be used at the university bookstore. If a book is not available at the bookstore, these students may not be able to purchase the required material.

What if I make a mistake in submitting a textbook request? 
Email library@harrisburgu.edu as soon as you notice the mistake and we will work to correct it.

What is Ambassador's role in the process?
Ambassador identifies the source of textbook procurement, ensures that requested items are available, and checks editions. They also highlight the courses that students are registered for as long as the student has been registered for the course for 24 hours. Before this, students can select any courses they want to look at from the list of courses on the Ambassador website. This process requires timely creation of a booklist, procurement of inventory, and the database processes to connect student schedules with course textbook listings.

What if I submit a textbook request past the deadline?
A textbook request submitted late carries no guarantee that the book will be available in time for students to use it, particularly if an item is only available in print and must be shipped, or in cases when the exact edition requested is no longer available and alternatives must be approved. In addition, late textbook requests may violate federal financial aid requirements.