As the prices of textbooks continue to soar, students are faced with the decision to purchase new or used textbooks, to rent textbooks, or to purchase or rent eBooks.
The textbook options vary for each student depending on what is required for each class and what is available for a particular book.  The University Bookstore, Big Worm Textbooks and Textbook Rental Inc. are three local sources where students can purchase and rent textbooks or eBooks.
The University Bookstore, located in the Bollinger Student Union, is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. and from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday. Students can buy new or used textbooks or rent textbooks or eBooks in the University Bookstore. Students can also order books online from the University bookstore at nich.bncollege.com.
Nicholas Boutte, art junior from New Iberia, said he purchases textbooks at the University Bookstore for on-campus convenience and advises that students with transportation means should explore other options.
 “Look all over for bookstores in the Thibodaux and Houma area and find the one that works best for you,” Boutte said.
Purchasing textbooks on campus is not the only option available to students.
Big Worm Textbooks, located on 1113 Audubon Ave., is open daily until Sept. 7 from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and students can buy new and used books, or rent books or eBooks. Students can also order books online at www.bigwormtextbooks.com.
Renting textbooks can be beneficial for students who do not want to keep or re-sell textbooks.
Textbook Rental Inc. of Thibodaux, located on 704 Goode St., opens the entire month of August at 8 a.m. (closing hours fluctuate).  Students can also rent books from TRI by logging on to www.flipthatbook.com.
TRI also introduced a curbside pickup option for students this fall. Students now can sit in their cars while a TRI employee hand-delivers books to them. Curbside pickup hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and the service will only be offered from Aug. 22 to Aug. 24.
Trevor Simon, culinary sophomore from Crowley, prefers to rent his textbooks and advises students to obtain textbooks as soon as possible.
“Come early because when they run out of books and iClickers, you are going to be panicking.” Simon said.
Maci Barrilleaux, business administration junior from Chackbay, has a different outlook when it comes to purchasing textbooks. Barrilleaux prefers to wait until classes start.
“Instead of buying the books a week ahead of time, I’ll wait until the first day of classes so I won’t waste money on books I don’t need.” Barrilleaux said.
Students can also search online retailers, like Amazon, Chegg and BookRenter for discounted prices.
If students need to return books, each venue has a return policy.
The University Bookstore’s refund policy states that in order to receive a full refund for a textbook, it must be returned within the first 30 days of classes with a receipt and proof of schedule change. The Bookstore will not give refunds to students for books with open shrink wrap packages or activated eBooks.
Big Worm Textbooks’ refund policy states that students can receive full refunds on books within the first five days of purchase.
TRI’s refund policy states that students have one week beginning after the first day of school to return books for a refund. If students need to exchange a book, they can do so for up to one week after the first day of classes, supplies permitting.
The University bookstore and Big Worm Textbooks give students the option to sell books back throughout the semester. In order to receive the most money back for textbooks, the best time to sell books back to the University bookstore is during final examinations. Big Worm’s mid semester buyback hours are on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.