5

I've been teaching a few years now and the number of older editions of textbooks is beginning to pile up in my office. There is no policy at my university for disposal of old textbooks. These books were purchase with department funds and it troubles me to throw them away. They content is still relevant as the newer editions are not ground-breaking in material.

My questions are as follows...

  1. Please share how you deal with older editions of textbooks?
  2. Is there a policy at your institution (if so please share) or do you have a personal way of dealing with this problem (again please share)?
Improve this question
5
  • You might be interested: academia.stackexchange.com/questions/123244/…
    – Allure
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 10:12
  • 1
    I keep mine, very handy as some NEW versions drop perfectly good practice questions as part of the new version editing process...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 10:15
  • Are there any used bookstores (or even "thrift shops") in your area to which you could denote (or sell cheaply) the books?
    – Dave L Renfro
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 13:14
  • 1
    Point of information: Is the faculty/department not supplied with gratis desk-copy textbooks from the publisher? I thought that was customary; maybe I'm wrong.
    – Daniel R. Collins
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 14:47
  • 1
    @DaveLRenfro That option might be problematic for books purchased with department funds.
    – Anyon
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 15:27

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
6

At my school the custom seems to be just leaving them in a stack in the hallway next to one's office door. Anyone walking by can peruse through them and take anything they want. At some point the janitorial stuff disposes of the stack as rubbish.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    I've seen this custom too
    – user2768
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 15:08
  • 1
    I've seen this too, mostly when a professor retires or moves office. Then there can be a respectable pile of books with a note saying "free", and often an email to students in the department (depending on the nature of the books, it might only be sent to graduate students).
    – Anyon
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 15:29
2

At my institution the library of the university accepts donations of books, especially if they are in decent conditions. It seems like the best possible destination for your books since it seems that your institution paid for them, and in this way you'd be "giving them back".

Improve this answer
0

I've been teaching a few years now and the number of older editions of textbooks is beginning to pile up in my office. [The] content is still relevant as the newer editions are not ground-breaking in material.

Do you need the latest versions? Perhaps reduce the frequencies with which you acquire textbooks.

There is no policy at my university for disposal of old textbooks. These books were purchase with department funds and it troubles me to throw them away.

Is there a policy for the disposal of university/departmental assets? That might be worth checking. That said, it probably doesn't apply to low value assets such as textbooks.

Please share how you deal with older editions of textbooks?

  1. Donate them to the departmental or university library;
  2. Offer them to students, especially those that are struggling financially.
Improve this answer
13
  • 2
    Eventually older editions are harder to get for students. So after a while the newer edition will be the one used by students. It is very helpful for me as a teacher to have the same edition as the students. So, yes I often need the newest edition.
    – Maarten Buis
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 10:06
  • 3
    @user2768 it is useful to have the same version, as students now seem to need precise direction to diagrams or topics ie page 44, diagram on top left. In the past one could suggest find the chapter on XXX and the diagram about YYY and they would...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 10:17
  • 4
    @user2768 you may well believe that, but what they demand and what faculty are then told to provide is something else...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 10:28
  • 1
    @user2768 Do you teach? Do you have a set course textbook? What happens when version 2 is no longer available and the publisher supplies version 3? You have to go with it...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 10:32
  • 1
    @user2768 libraries can also dump old versions...
    – Solar Mike
    Commented Jun 26, 2019 at 11:03

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .