Navigating the Textbook Department

Textbooks are located on the lower level of the University Book Store at 711 State Street. Class books are arranged first by department, next by class within each department. You can do yourself a large favor by making sure you have a list of your classes with you when you shop for your books each semester. This list should contain the names of your professors along with lecture and section numbers. This will help you make sure you're buying the right books for the right classes. It's not uncommon to have three professors teaching a particular class using three completely different sets of books.

The University Book Store starts returning unbought books to publishers during the tenth week of class each semester (varies during Summer Session according to length of session). Titles required for you classes may not be available after the tenth week of class.

Reading Shelf Tags

Finding your books during book rush each semester can be an exercise in patience and timing. Fortunately, our system makes it fairly simple to locate the books for your classes. The shelf tag, as seen below, contains all of the information you need:

1. The largest printing on the tag is the department name and course number.
2. Just above the department name, find the professor's name. Make sure you're looking at the books for the right professor.
3. Just below the course number is the section number. This number corresponds to the lecture number in your time table. Again, make sure you're looking at books for the proper lecture. Sometimes, professors swap classes. If this happens, buy books for your lecture number, not professor's name.
4. Your course may have books that are required and/or recommended. This is indicated at the top of the shelf tag
5. A book's price may not be on the book itself. In all cases, however, the price of a book is found on the shelf tag.
6. The price for used copies of a textbook are to the right of the new price. The used price is always listed, even if used copies aren't available during a particular semester.
7. Check the bottom of each required book's shelf tag for the number of total books required for that class.

New vs. Used

In an attempt to keep your textbook bill low, the book store offers used books for as many classes as possible. We purchase thousands of used books from students each semester and order more from used textbook vendors.

Often, used books aren't available. The publisher may have issued a new edition and, therefore, there are no used copies in the marketplace. Used books are in high demand at the UW and early shoppers are likely to snatch them up. The best time to buy books if you're looking for used copies is during the week before classes begin.

Paying for your books

The University Book Store accepts cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, or now you may also use your WisCard as a payment option. We can also assist you with purchase orders, blanket orders and other forms of payment. If you have any questions about paying for books, please take them to the textbook service counter. When in doubt, ask. There's nothing worse than waiting in line for 10 minutes only to be told that blanket orders are handled by another cashier.

Refund Policy

• ALL RETURNS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A RECEIPT. NO EXCEPTIONS.
• Last day to return books for Fall 2011 is Friday, September 9th. Last day to return books for Spring 2012 is Monday, January 30th. (varies during summer sessions, please check with department staff).
• During the summer, return dates depend on the length of each session. Please check with text department staff for summer return dates.
• New books returned for refund must be in sellable condition (free of marks, underlines, names, etc.).
• No money will be refunded on opened software.

Other textbook Services

In addition to the obvious, the text department offers several other services to the UW community.

• Special Orders: Whether it's a reference book for a class or a general interest title, we can track down and order just about any book in print.
• Foreign Language and International Titles: In many cases, we can order books from overseas for you.
• Out-of-Print Searches: For a small fee, we will attempt to locate out-of-print titles for you.

Some What Ifs

What if my books aren't on the shelf? This could happen for a number of reasons. The books might be late in arriving. The enrollment for your class could be higher than first estimated. If you have checked with your professor or teaching assistant and they can't provide an answer, stop by the textbook service counter at the end of aisle 2. They can fill you in on the situation and, in many cases, help you reserve a copy.

What if I buy the wrong books? Despite everyone's best efforts, students frequently buy the wrong books. That's one of the reasons we stress that you hang on to your book store receipts. If you discover you've got the wrong books or you drop a class, simply bring the books along with your receipt to the buyback counter at the front of the textbook department. Compare your books to your syllabi as soon as possible. Full refunds will not be given on books returned after the designated return date each semester.

Information for Professors

The University Book Store is proud of its relationship with the University of Wisconsin faculty. Your cooperation helps us supply students with their textbooks and supplies in an efficient and economic manner. If you ever have any questions or comments, please don't hesitate to email or phone (608-257-3784) us with them.

For your convenience, you may now accomplish your text book adoptions via email. Simply address an email message containing your requirements (under the guidelines below) to:

or

Text and/or Supply Adoption Guidelines

1. Please use your University of Wisconsin email account for adoptions. On all email adoptions, we will respond with a confirmation message. If you do not receive a confirmation message, assume that we have not received your adoptions.
2. Include the phrase TEXTBOOK ADOPTION in the subject heading of your message. Also include your name and a phone number where we can contact you in case of problems.
3. For each text item, we need the following information:
   • Semester
   • Department & Course Number (please include lecture/section number if applicable)
   • Estimated Enrollment
   • Author
   • Title (ISBN, if available) or description of supply (model number is helpful)
   • Edition
   • Publisher or manufacturer
   • Is the item required or recommended?
   To put in a Supply Order or Text Order please contact or
4. It helps everyone if we receive your textboook and/or supply adoptions one to two months before the start of each semester. Books and course supplies can take a few days to arrive, or may take a few months, depending on availability from the publisher. Submitting your book list before finals week also benefits your students. If we recognize that the books are required for the upcoming semester, we can offer the students a better price on books we buy back. Finally, a one to two month lead offers us optimal opportunity to process orders, deal with shortages or acquisition problems and receive materials.
5. Overseas ordering usually takes a minimum of 6-8 weeks, barring the usual close-down times of August and December for the European holiday seasons.
6. We do not carry textbook adoptions over from semester to semester. Each semester requires a unique request for adoption. We will order your material whenever we receive notification of the need.
7. Please notify us if you have any significant enrollment increases. We have no direct access to information about increased enrollment. We rely foremost on timely instructor notification. We are always glad to order additional copies of textbooks needed by your students. We offer a textbook reservation system to each student, which begins on the Friday of the first week of class.
8. We start returning our overstock of textbooks during the tenth week of of each semester (Summer Session return dates vary according to session length). Please encourage your students to make all of their purchases before those times.
9. If you have any questions about textbooks, editions, publishers, ISBNs or anything related to textbooks, please don't hesitate to contact our text department. Lynn Lorton is the text office supervisor and she can be reached at either the above email address or by phone at (608) 257-3784, ext. 5901.
10. If you have any questions on supplies be it computer supplies, art supplies, etc. Please contact the appropiate deparment.

Desk Copies

The University Book Store can help you secure desk copies. We have request forms available at the service desk or right here on our site for you to print out and mail. We also have a directory of publishers. If you have ordered a desk copy and it is late in arriving, you can check out a book on a desk copy account from the book store to use while you wait. These copies can be returned during the semester for full credit. Please remember, desk copies checked out from the book store are essentially loaners and must be replaced in saleable condition to receive the credit. We would like the copy you receive from the publisher as long as it is not marked as a complimentary copy. If you check out a used copy, please feel free to return that used copy for your credit. Also, keep in mind that books taken from the shelves are books unavailable to your students.

Contacting the Textbook Department

The University Book Store's hours are:
Monday-Thursday: 9:00am - 7:00pm
Friday-Saturday: 9:00am - 5:30pm
Sunday: 12:00pm - 5:00pm

Mailing Address
The University Book Store
711 State Street
Madison, WI 53703

Telephone/Fax
Local: (608) 257-3784
Toll Free: (800) 993-2665
Fax: (608) 257-9479 (att: Text)

If you have a question or a comment, please feel free to e-mail us.

Textbook Return Policy

Last day to return books for Fall 2011 is September 9, 2011. Last day to return books for Spring 2012 is Monday, January 30, 2012. New books must be in new condition with original packaging and accessories.

Summer semester return date varies depending on course length. See text department for details.

ALL BOOKS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE ORIGINAL RECEIPT OR THE PACKING SLIP IF PURCHASED ONLINE.

Bring the book(s) to the buy-back counter in the textbook department at 711 State Street for a full refund.

Credit Card purchases will be credited to the charge card used for the initial purchase.

Online Textbooks FAQ Page

Q: I looked at my credit card account online, and it looks like I was charged twice for the same order. Why is this?
A: You cannot be charged twice for the same order on the website. What you are seeing is the "approval", which will usually disappear usually within 24 hours, and is not actually a charge.

Q: I ordered four books but was only charged for three. What happened to the fourth book?
A: The fourth book is probably on backorder. As soon as some copies arrive, you will be charged for it, and you will receive an e-mail notification.

Q: If I need to return a book, what can I do?
A: Books are eligible for a full refund through the first week of classes. New books must still be in new condition, and all books must be accompanied by a receipt.

Q: How do I find the books I need for my classes?
A: You can look up your booklists by course number. First select the department; then select the course number; finally, select the section number (i.e. Math 100, Sec. 1). Listed under each course are the required and recommended books the instructor has assigned. Booklists are added to the website as soon as we receive them. Please note: the website does not indicate stock of an item.

Q: The booklist for my course says "Choose _ of 2." What does this mean?
A: This means the instructor has given you the choice of buying one of these two books. In most cases, they are slightly different editions, both of which the instructor has deemed acceptable for the course. Do not order both of them.

Q: How do I buy my books?
A: Select each book that you would like to purchase and select used or new preferred. Then proceed to the checkout and follow the prompts.

Q: Can I use my Wiscard to pay online?
A: No. Unfortunately, we are not able to accept Wiscard online at this time. However, you may use Wiscard as a form of payment in the store.

Q: Do I have to have the books shipped to me or can you hold them for me at the bookstore?
A: You can choose to either have the books shipped to you or to pick them up at the store. This option is at the end of your order process. Please fill out the shipping address information even if you are not having them shipped.

Q: I chose to pick up at store. Where do I get my books?
A: You may pick up your books at our third floor office Monday through Friday between 9:00 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. You must bring photo identification with you.

Q: I just placed my order. When will it be ready?
A: Order fulfillment time varies depending on availability of texts and quantity of orders. You will receive a shipping confirmation e-mail when the order is ready. If you chose to pick up at store, please wait two hours after receiving this e-mail to come in and pick up your books.

Q: How long will you hold my books at the store?
A: There is no date when we will put the books back on the shelves. Your books will be held indefinitely until you pick them up.

Q: I picked all used books. Why is my total on the confirmation e-mail the price of the new textbooks?
A: This is only a price estimate, not the price you will be charged. We try to respect your used/new preference as best we can, but we cannot guarantee new or used. You will be charged after we pick the books for the amount of used/new books we were able to get for you. This total will be indicated on your shipping confirmation e-mail.

Q: I did not receive one of my books and the receipt says "customer error". What does this mean?
A: Customer error means we found a mistake on your order. Most likely, you accidentally ordered two of the same book. Therefore, we cancelled one copy off the order for you.

Q: I am studying abroad. Can I have my books shipped to me overseas?
A: No. Unfortunately, we are not able to ship books ordered online overseas. Please call the textbook department if you are interested in shipping overseas.

Q: How do I cancel some or all of the books on my order?
A: You cannot cancel the order online. You must contact the textbook department at (608)257-3784 ext.5905.

With any other questions please call (608)257-3784 ext.5907 or e-mail .