Barnes & Noble on Tuesday announced a new Web-based textbook rental service as well as Nook Study, a software download for college students that lets them access class materials on a PC or Mac.
Textbook rental will be available on BN.com/textbooks, and students can borrow class materials for 60, 90, or 130 days, with the option to extend the rental for up to 125 days or purchase the book. Books can be returned free with Barnes & Noble-provided UPS shipping labels.
Barnes & Noble promised savings of up to 60 percent. The textbook "Database Management Systems," for example, retails on BN.com for $141.78, but students can rent it for 60 days at $67.52, for 90 days at $72.34, or 130 days at $80.38.
If the book is not returned on time, Barnes & Noble will automatically add a 15-day extension to a rental. After that, renters will be charged for the book. If the book is returned in an unusable state – excessive highlighting or writing, missing pages, or a damaged spine or cover – Barnes & Noble will charge the renter to replace the book.
There is a 21-day return policy, whereby Barnes & Noble will issue a full refund, minus shipping.
For those who prefer e-books to physical textbooks, Barnes & Noble also launched Nook Study, a free download for the PC or Mac that lets users buy or rent e-book versions of their textbooks for use on the computer.
Though it is called Nook Study, the service is not actually accessible via the company's Nook e-book reader. "Textbooks are complex and usually graphic-intensive; they do not display well on small screens," Barnes & Noble said. "However, if you have purchased e-books (e.g. Moby Dick, Pride & Prejudice, etc) that are predominantly text, those are supported on Nook and mobile devices, in addition to Nook Study."
The company said Nook Study will not require already cash-strapped students to purchase another device.
"Nook Study allows students to rely upon and optimize technology they already own – 95 percent of higher education students own a PC or Mac – instead of purchasing a dedicated device which we believe is really important for cost-conscious students," a spokeswoman said. "In addition, reading and studying e-textbooks effectively requires devices that can display color and graphics – small format, e-ink devices would not provide an experience that the higher education student needs."
The service offers a free, seven-day trial for most e-book purchases, though the printing and copying features are disabled during the trial period.
Barnes & Noble has approximately 6,000 e-textbooks available, the company said. Students must download the Nook Study application to purchase and view textbooks – books will not be available via a Web browser or on mobile devices due to screen size restrictions.
Nook Study can be downloaded on up to six devices, but purchased books can only be accessed on up to two personal computers.
Students do not need to be connected to the Web to access their textbooks, but they do need to be online to use the look-up features or to sync their books. Other features include highlighting, annotations, tagging and searching, side-by-side reading, and more.
As a promotional offer, Barnes & Noble is offering a free "College Kick Start Kit" for those who download Nook Study now through the fall semester. Among other things, it includes free access to 12 classic e-books, including Canterbury Tales, The Scarlet Letter, and Poems of Emily Dickinson.