
Textbook Adoption Information for LHU Faculty
Helpful Links
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do if I have a student who cannot afford to purchase textbooks? |
Refer the student to the Financial Aid Office at 223 Ulmer Hall, finaid@lockhaven.edu, or 570-484-2424. |
What is an ISBN and why must I submit this information? |
An ISBN is essentially a product identifier used by publishers, booksellers, libraries, internet retailers and other supply chain participants for ordering, listing, sales records and stock control purposes. The ISBN identifies the specific title, edition and format. |
How do I obtain the ISBN for the book(s) I require? |
Reach out to the publisher of the textbook/courseware to ensure you have the most up-to-date ISBN. |
Are students required to purchase books through the online bookstore? |
No, they are not. However, we are required to list *all* required course materials
in the Virtual Bookstore as it is meant to be the "hub" where students learn what
all is required and the approximate cost of those required materials. Students are
welcome to visit the Virtual Bookstore just to gather their list of required items,
and shop for them anywhere they'd like. |
What if my book is part of the First Day Access program and a student prefers a printed copy of the book? |
The Print ISBN will be listed in a note on the course in the Virtual Bookstore, as well as in a note on the item under the First Day Access link in D2L. Students typically have at least several days past the add/drop deadline to opt OUT of First Day Access books for a full refund, and they can use the Print ISBN given to shop for a print copy elsewhere. Also, if you require use of publisher courseware which comes with an embedded ebook, most publishers will also provide students with a link where they can purchase a deeply-discounted looseleaf print of the text from within the courseware. |
Will we be able to use course packs? |
Yes, we will continue use LHU Duplicating Services for course packets and lab manuals.
These items will be sold by the University Store, and will be available on the University
Store website. When doing your book adoptions in Course Director, please be sure
to add a "non-title adoption" indicating that a course pack or lab manual will also
be available. |
Can we still use the book we want to use? |
Yes, absolutely. You have access to more than 500,000 textbook titles spanning 2,700
academic subjects. If a book does not automatically come up in MBS Course Director
when you search by ISBN or Title, you will be presented with a link where you request
to have the title added to the MBS database. |
Can I get a desk copy? |
You must contact your usual publisher rep to request a desk copy. If you are unsure
who your rep is, please see the Publisher Directory in the links above for publisher
contact information as well as their usual desk copy request policy. If the rep needs
to verify your book adoption before sending a desk copy, you may have them contact
Jan Bottorf at jbottorf@lockhaven.edu. Additonally, if you are going to be using an ebook through First Day Access, you
may request a digital sample of the book through the VitalSource Educators portal.
Contact Jan for detailed instructions. |
What about non-book supplies? | The LHU University Store will be able to order these for you. Please email your requests
to Tanya Harpster at tlh106@lockhaven.edu. These items should also be outlined in a "Student Message" on your course through
MBS Course Director to be published in the Virtual Bookstore, as students should be
made aware of all required supplies through the Virtual Bookstore listing. |
Am I able to edit more than one course section at a time? |
Each section must be updated individually. Each course section is treated as an individual
course. |
Can I add more than one format of a book? | You will select just one format. However, if there is an exact book match in other
formats, they will be displayed to the student as alternative formats. |
Can I make changes after I click the "approve" button? | Yes. If the course still shows as approved, you can click "unapprove" and make edits. If the course has already been submitted to MBS, you will no longer have an Approve or Unapprove button, and you will need to send your requested changes to Jan Bottorf at jbottorf@lockhaven.edu. |
Can I add a note for students to see? (e.g. Student may select either the 4th or 5th edition of the book) |
Yes, absolutely! To add a note on a specific book or item, click on the "messaging"
tab at the bottom of the specific item and select "Add a Virtual Bookstore Message." This will add the note directly under the item you just adopted. Or, to add a
general course note, click "Create a Student Message" at the top of the course listing and the note will be placed at the top of the page
above any book adoptions. In either case, please do *not* use the "CD Internal Note"
or "Course Director Note" as these will not be published in the Virtual Bookstore for students to see. |
Why does nothing happen when I click on "Course Director" in the "Quick Links" box? | Course Director opens in a new window or tab. You likely have the pop up blocker turned on for the internet browser you are using. Click on the name of the browser you are using for instructions on how to turn off the pop up blocker: Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox. |
What if a title I want is unavailable? | You will receive a message in red text that states, "An ISBN search for, xxxxx, did not return a title. If you would like to submit a title to MBS Direct for review, click here." You will simply need to click on the link in Course Director to submit the request. It is likely that you are receiving this message because the book title has not previously been requested by an MBS client. They add new titles as requests come in. MBS is the largest online book provider. If it is available, they should be able to get it. |
What if I do not require a textbook? Do I still need to add something? |
Yes! You will need to add a "non-title adoption," select the option that says No Textbook Required, and then be sure to click Approve. Refer to "Section III. Non-Title Adoptions" in the Textbook Adoption Instructions above. |
How will I know if I completed the process? | If you have selected your textbooks (or indicated No Textbook Required) and clicked
on the "Approve" button, you have completed your end of the process. One approved,
adoptions will be reviewed to see if anything is better suited for First Day Access,
etc., and then submitted to MBS. |
I see items under a "supplements" tab. What are those? | These are items that may be of interest to you, based on what other schools have ordered. These are items that only you will see. Students will not see these items, unless you choose to add them to your adoptions. If you are not interested in these items, just ignore. |
How will shipping work? | Students will have multiple shipping options at the time of purchase, including free
shipping options during promotional periods. Students can opt to have their books
shipped to LHU or have the items shipped to a private address. To take advantage of
free shipping options, students must purchase their books weeks in advance of the
start of the semester. Shipping details will be listed on the online bookstore website. |