Textbook adoption

Dear faculty,

Our spring 2026 semester will start soon, and I am writing to encourage your adoption of your course materials to help our students be best prepared for a successful semester. Understanding that timely availability and acquisition of course materials by students impacts their success and retention, and that students on agency scholarships such as Veterans Affairs, as well as student-athletes, are required to obtain their course materials from the on-campus bookstore, we ask that you adopt your course materials as early as possible so that they are available to students in advance of the start of the semester.

Other factors that influence this recommendation include:

• Timely course material information increases buyback value for current students and allows us to build a more robust used textbook inventory, which is challenging in the rapidly decreasing textbook market.
• Publishers are increasingly stocking fewer physical materials in their warehouse as more schools make the shift to digital course materials. As such, there is a "first-come, first-served" dynamic at play with multiple schools vying for fewer books.
• Reducing the number of trips a student must make to the bookstore by having all of their materials available at once enhances their experience.

Additionally, this recommendation is in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act Textbook Provision.

You can use the Follett "Discover" tool in Blackboard to manage your adoptions and to readopt items from past terms. For technical support or questions regarding ordering your textbooks this semester, please contact bookstore manager Chiyanne Thompson at 312-413-5500 or [email protected].

Finally, I want to encourage you to utilize Open Educational Resources where appropriate for your courses and instructional needs. Please see the University Library's Open Educational Resources website for more information.

Thank you for your continuous support of our students.

Sincerely,

Karen J. Colley
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

For more information, please contact:
Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
[email protected]