Have you ever heard somebody say that good usually comes out of something bad? Well, in my case something very unpleasant happened to me, and so I am passing the information I gained from this situation onto you. It all started at the beginning of June.I went to the MATC Bookstore to purchase a book for my ECON 195 class. When I got there (it was a Friday), all of the books for the course were sold out and I was told to come back on Monday. So I came back on Monday, hoping to hear something good. But alas, I was told to come back again on Wednesday.

I got the exact same response. Nobody at the bookstore knew when the books would come in, and they told me to come back at a later date. By now, the first week of class had gone by and I still did not have my book.

I was absolutely frustrated from waiting and not knowing when this book would finally get here. So, I decided to speak with Beth Phillips, the manager of the MATC Bookstores, and trust me, she gave me a lot of information on things I didn’t even know.

The first important piece of information I learned is why exactly there was a book shortage for the Economics books. Things went wrong because the bookstore didn’t order enough books, so they ran out earlier than expected.

The bookstore then contacted the publisher, but the books were not shipped when the publisher said they would be.

This explains why I and many other students requiring the book were told to come back another day.

The employees were merely guessing as to when the book would come in because they really didn’t know. (The bookstore is working on giving students a more approximate time as to when their books will arrive.) Eventually, the books came in and the bookstore is no longer out of stock.

With this in mind, I offer you an important tip: If you are in a big class, it never hurts to shop early. What I mean by this is if you know you will be in a class that is offered in multiple sections (such as Economics or Psychology), try to shop for your textbooks as early as possible.

The bookstore usually posts textbook information on their website approximately a month before the semester begins, which should offer you plenty of time to get out there and buy your book before the rush begins.

Currently, the bookstore is improving the website so students can purchase books online, as well as improving a new system that will affect their inventory process and their website, as well as offering book rentals this fall. That’s right, I said book rentals. With this new program implemented, you will no longer have to pay the full price of the book, and at the end of the semester you can return the book to the bookstore, and you’re on your way.

Starting this fall, the bookstore will only have three to five titles working with the rental system, but they hope to expand the program to about 75% of the courses offered here at MATC. As far as the bookstore figures, to rent a book would cost about 22% of the original price.

For example, if I have to use a book that costs $100, instead of buying it, I could possibly rent it for only $22. That is a huge amount of savings compared to when students need to buy a new textbook. In order to use the program, you would need to sign a promise similar to financial aid to pay the rental fee and then return the book at the end of the semester.

You keep the book for the semester without having to pay an expensive price for a book. This is why I think it would be in everybody’s best interest to keep this system going.

I have one other piece of information to give you regarding the textbook rental program. If you want to buy the book after you’ve rented it at the beginning of the semester, you can do so at a reduced rate.

If it’s a brand new book, you’ll have to pay more, but not the whole price of the book.

Also, the more the book circulates through the rental program, the more of a discount you will get when you buy it. This, by the way, is coming from someone who has kept most of her Graphic Design books after having used them for the semester.

Even though the book rental program isn’t up and running yet, I do have another tip. If you don’t know exactly when the textbook you will need for class will be available, you can fill out a form at the bookstore, and they will let you know when the book will be available.

Another tip is that you can request to have a textbook shipped to another campus for no extra charge. For example, say that you’re a student who lives up near Mequon, but you’re taking a course that’s only offered at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. Instead of having to drive all the way down to Milwaukee just to get your textbook, you can ask to have it transferred to Mequon at no extra charge.

My last piece of advice to everyone needing to buy a textbook for class is: Don’t wait until the last minute! If you decide to come the first day of class, I guarantee you that you will have an extremely hard time trying to get your book because the bookstore is always packed on the first day of class.

If this happens, do not blame the bookstore! They’re trying to help us, the students, not make it inconvenient for us to get our books.

If you want to know when the earliest time is to get your books, stop by the bookstore and ask. They are always willing to answer students’ questions, and will do anything to get your textbook to you as soon as possible.

So, as I said at the beginning of my story, something good usually comes out of something bad. I had my not-so-great experience at the bookstore this summer, and I hope the advice I passed on to you will make your experience much better.