The cost of textbooks continues to rise due to an industry heavily dominated by large publishing companies. While there is no single solution to the problem, the University of Iowa and University Libraries are committed to continuing to find ways to help reduce the cost for course content. 

Here are some resources:

• Check the University Libraries using InfoHawk+: We may have an e-book or physical copy of the book in our collections that you can check out and use. If the book isn’t on our shelves or in our databases, it may still be on course reserves. If not, you might consider asking your professor to place a copy in a library for students to use.
  • Search by:
    • Course Name
    • Instructor
    • Book title
• Faculty can adopt free and openly licensed Open Educational Resources (OER) instead of commercial textbooks. OER are teaching, learning, and research resources (such open textbooks, audio and video material, etc.) that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use. The University Libraries provide support for faculty wishing to pursue this option though our OpenHawks program. You can also find examples of OER across disciplines and formats in repositories such as OER Commons and the Open Textbook Library.
• ICON Direct is a way to order digital content from specific publishers and delivering the content to students and faculty. More information.