By ERIC PERRY and SHARON VARGA
Over the course of this past semester, members of the UNIX users group and the BYUSA technology team have partnered with the BYU Bookstore to provide a new service to the BYU student body: the online Virtual Book Exchange. It will allow students to post their used textbooks for sale to other students who may need them effective the first day of textbook buyback. While the system has been used before with limited success, it will now provide several new features we believe will be of benefit to all students.
The online exchange is a secure site and will allow access only to current BYU students through the use of Route Y login protocol. Once the students have entered the system they can enter their upcoming class schedules. Their schedule information will be used to search a database that will find the books they need for the new semester.
This book list database is the same as that provided by the Bookstore in the catalog listings found on the textbook level of the Bookstore. In fact, it has been provided to us courtesy of the Bookstore; we are extremely grateful for their cooperation in providing students with increased ease in gathering information and finding new alternatives.
Through the online database, students will be able to see the required books for their class sections, as well as listings for the new and used Bookstore prices. That information will help students decide whether to buy new or used books, and whether to use the Bookstore, the Virtual Book Exchange, or some other source to sell off and obtain their textbooks.
Students who choose to post their books on the exchange will leave their e-mail address as contact information. They will then be contacted by students who need their books for the next semester and an exchange that will benefit both parties will be made. Students looking to buy books can contact sellers via e-mail and also negotiate the terms of exchange.
While the process does require a little more time and effort than other methods, a number of benefits clearly exist for students. In most cases, students will be able to negotiate better deals one with another; savings added up over a number of books could amount to some extra cash for other activities.
Additionally, students who use the application to query the database will be able to find out book requirements and book prices for different courses without needing to physically visit the Bookstore. This will be helpful to students in making final class schedule decisions over the holidays. It will also save students from waiting in line at the Bookstore information desk to find textbook information.
In addition to the services provided by the Bookstore and the BYUSA Virtual Book Exchange, there are several other options available. We provide this information only as a service to increase the number of choices available to the student body. Several students have started a company called The Vault Book Exchange (www.vaultbooks.com) and information about them can be found on their site. A number of online providers, such as Varsity Books (www.varsitybooks.com) and Big Books (www.bigbooks.com), as well as others found through Internet search engines, may also meet some students' needs. Before using any service, we suggest students perform some background research to assure that the system will meet their time, cost, and quality demands.
We are extremely excited about the Virtual Book Exchange and are confident that students will love it. It will provide an amazing service to make students lives easier.
We encourage students to check the BYUSA web site (byusa.byu.edu) for new applications, services and information that may be of use to them. Current applications include the Virtual Wilkboard, an online version of the buy/sell postings found on the first floor of the Wilkinson Student Center; the Student Life Activities Bulletin, a calendar listing of weekly campus events, and the Student Issues Forum, a venue for students to share concerns about campus life with the Student Advisory Council.
Finally, on December 15 the long-awaited results of the Off-Campus Housing Rating Survey will be made available online through a new application designed to share information that will help students make the best housing decisions possible. Find it under 'On-line Services' at http://byusa.byu.edu.
We also invite any suggestions for new applications to serve students. Please send your ideas to us at byusa@byu.edu.
Finally, we'd like to wish the student body a Merry Christmas and thank them for being the good people they are. We'd also like to say thank you to the many people on campus who serve students and help make BYU what it is, including faculty, instructors, support staff, custodians, grounds keepers, administrators. . . . The list goes on please know that you are
appreciated.