subject: Obtaining Reference Books For University [print this page] Due to the global economic climate, a larger proportion of students are deciding to stay in full time education, due to the fact that the market place is currently still looking fairly bleak. This is not necessarily a good thing for the government, the industry or the students themselves, as all three will start to generate additional debt that they will have to eventually pay off. There is however one industry that additional students will be of massive benefit to and that is the reference books industry, who will be supplying colleges, universities and schools up and down the country with reference material throughout 2010 and beyond.
The reference book industry is a multi million pound body that has helped to provide the geniuses of tomorrow with food for thought whilst they study their course. If you have ever been into a shop like Waterstones then you will be only too aware of the difference in price between a work of fiction and the university reference books. While you might pay up to 5 pounds for a good paperback novel, reference books will tend to set you back somewhere in the region of 20 pounds or upwards.
The reason that extra students heading into full time education will benefit these manufacturers of reference books is because most University or A level courses utilise specific reference books year after year to train students in their specific subject. The cost of these books usually comes out of the students loan budget and depending on how many text and reference textbooks they need to purchase it can have a significant effect on their yearly budget.
Of course for students there is another option when it comes to looking for reference materials in the current day and age. For a start most students have access to the internet and through this medium they will have access to look at a vast array of course material relevant to their chosen field of expertise. Admittedly the internet can sometimes be more of a hindrance than it can be a help, as not all of the material online is always correct, truth and trustworthy.
Another option for students would be to utilise one of the internet's many auction sites to look for a used textbook or reference book from a student who has finished the same course that they were on. Usually you can pick up the same book for a fraction of the cost and save yourself some money. Just make sure that you check with the tutor that there hasn't been any modifications or changes made to the textbook since it was last printed.
