Textbook Guide for Students

Textbooks are purchased online through the Harrisburg University Bookstore.

Faculty members submit orders for textbooks which are then offered for sale to students through a third party supplier. Textbooks should be available for courses by the opening of registration for each term. Use the menu items on this page to learn how to purchase your textbooks and get answers to frequently asked questions.

Before purchasing a textbook, you may want to see if you can check out a copy from the Library. Your professor will usually indicate on the syllabus if a library copy is available. The Harrisburg University Library does not collect print copies of textbooks and many textbook publishers do not allow libraries to purchase unlimited-use electronic copies of textbooks. However, the library does sometimes have copies of required texts that can be borrowed. You can check using the steps below.

To look up your textbook in the library, try the following:

• 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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Requesting Textbooks for Purchase at the Bookstore

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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?
• Open Access Textbooks
• Textbook Request Process
• Textbook Ordering Schedule
• What if Ambassador Cannot Supply a Book?
• Textbook FAQs:
  • Why does the textbook deadline not align with the deadline for course proposals and confirmation deadlines from Records and Registration? 
  • Can I list materials in the syllabus and students can buy them on Amazon? 
  • What is the relationship between purchasing textbooks and financial aid?
  • What if I make a mistake in submitting a textbook request? 
  • What is Ambassador's role in the process?
  • What if I submit a textbook request past the deadline?

Is the Textbook Already Available through the Library?
The Harrisburg University Library provides access to many 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. 

Click to enlarge.