Help Make Textbooks Accessible to All Students

the project

The cost of textbooks has been rising exponentially, putting an ever-greater financial burden on students as they pursue a college degree. Sometimes the cost of materials can be so prohibitive, it can influence a student’s course choices or even force them to drop out of a class. The USF St. Petersburg campus is always looking for ways to reduce the financial burden on students and that has been especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic.

who we are

Spearheaded by staff at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, the USF St. Petersburg campus launched a
Textbook Affordability Initiative to attempt to reduce the cost of materials for students. This initiative combines textbooks on reserve, e-textbooks and promoting affordable options to faculty so they can select course materials that sustain academic rigor while lowering costs to students. Since its launch, this initiative has made available print textbooks on reserve and subscription ebooks saving our student body more than $1.08 million over the past five years.

the impact

Ensuring that textbooks and ebooks are on reserve and available has a big impact on our students. Your gift, of any size, will go towards supporting USF St. Petersburg campus students who need assistance in making sure they have all their necessary course materials. This lifts a stressful financial burden off of our neediest students who are worried if they have what they need to be successful in class. With your support, we are able to ensure this vital educational resource is available to our students.

what your gifts will do

The money raised for the initiative will be used to purchase e-books required in USF St. Petersburg campus courses, as well as textbooks for our Textbook on Reserve Collection. As the campus expects to see more students return safely to on-campus learning in fall 2021, we want to ensure we have these resources available and ready for students. Your gift makes that possible.

spread the word

We are counting on your help! Make an even bigger impact by sharing your support of this campaign using the social media tools at the top of the page.