Find Free & Affordable Textbooks & Course Materials

Welcome to the Affordable Materials Guide!

The UO Libraries is committed to making course materials available and easy to access. This guide highlights both open content as well as library subscription content that is no-cost to UO students and affiliates. We also recently introduced a new way to search for courses with low cost or no cost books/materials in the Class Schedule, which you can now use when registering for classes.

Click a tile to go to the corresponding page:

Questions?

Contact your Subject Librarian.

Quick Answers: 

How can I find textbooks & course materials for free through UO libraries?

• Search the UO libraries catalog for print or eBook copies of textbooks. If you want help searching for or finding materials in the library, you can Ask a Librarian.
• Request non-textbooks or articles not in our collection through  Interlibrary loan (ILL). You can do this through the library search by clicking on "Get Book" and selecting Summit or ILL, or see this tutorial to learn more. ILL is great for supplemental course materials, like books for a research project, but isn't a good option for full class textbooks. 
• Check course reserves, for copies of your textbook available for short term loans. Your professors can add copies of their textbooks to course reserves so that you and your peers can access them for a few hours at a time.

 How can I get help paying for textbooks?

• The Basic Needs Office offers a textbook subsidy program that provides up to $150 of financial aid to offset the cost of expensive textbooks.
• The CMAE resource pond offers a textbook subsidy and lending library.
• The UO Women's center: offers a textbook lending library, and when books are not yet available, students can request new titles through the Book Aid program. They also publish helpful textbook tips.
• TRIO Student Support Services offers  a textbook subsidy and book loaner program for eligible students.

How else can I access course materials?

• Public library: get a Eugene public library card and/or access your home library using the Libby app. You're less likely to find textbooks at the public library but more likely to be able to access books for English and Humanities classes.
• Ask your Professor if they have an extra copy you can borrow, or if you can buy an older edition.
• Look online: Internet Archive, OpenStax, Google Books, Open Textbook Library.