Starting the spring 2024  semester at the College of the Desert’s Indio and Palm Desert campus, students can rent textbooks for a discounted rate of $5 with proof of their enrollment and student ID number. The book rentals are first come first serve and students will have to use a credit card to rent the books. Books that are not returned will have to be paid in full price. 

Chloe Newton-Bustamante who works at the College of the Desert bookstore said,“Vice President Jeff Baker received a grant from the state and wanted to do something with the grant, one of the biggest complaints from students was that the books at the college are too expensive.” Bustamante said the $5  Rental Program helps students save money on books using ebook textbooks online for rental. 

The students have responded well to the program, Bustamante  mentions students have been happy with the purchase of textbooks and how it’s been life saving and didn’t have to worry about the hassle of buying an expensive textbooks. 

College of the Desert teamed up with Follet Higher Education to start a program at the college called The Roadrunner Rental Program’ in which they take the most expensive items on the shelves and the school pays the majority of the cost for the book while students pay the $5 rental fee.

Bustamante said the program is giving students affordable options for the most expensive books. Room for improvement such as more publicity and adding more titles so students know renting books is an option and along with having another grant to keep the program long-term.

Books such as Discovering Psychology , Math 1A  and Social Statistics the books themselves are digital for cheaper and less expensive.