Hey everyone! I hope this blog finds you well! Today, I want to share something about the book purchase process at Amherst College.
As you may know, Amherst provides a fantastic service where textbooks are offered for free to students, significantly reducing costs. However, there’s another lesser-known service that even some Amherst students aren’t aware of: the ability to request books that the college doesn’t yet provide.
At Amherst, students can request books through the library’s website. While the Five College Consortium libraries collectively hold over 820,000 books, students still have the option to request additional books if they’re not available. This service has been incredibly useful for me! As a book lover, I’ve requested many books that weren’t initially offered in the library’s collection.
Today, I’d like to give you a quick glimpse into how the book request process works. Stay tuned!
Step 1: Check if the book is available at Amherst College Library
As with any library, the first step is to check whether the book is already available on the shelves. If the library already has a copy, there’s no need to request a purchase.
For example, as a Computer Science major, let’s say I wanted to learn more about cybersecurity. I would simply type the book’s title into the library’s search bar to check its availability. If the book isn’t available, then I can proceed with a request.
Step 2: Request the book
After checking the library catalog and confirming that Cybersecurity Essentials is not available, I can visit a specific page on the Amherst College Library website, where students can request books.
A great feature of this service is that the book doesn’t have to be class-related—it can be anything that interests you!
To request a book, you simply fill out a form with all the relevant details. In this case, I submitted a request for Cybersecurity Essentials. Once the request is submitted, you’ll receive an email confirming that your request has been accepted.
Step 3: Pick up the book and enjoy!!!
The most important step comes next—picking up your book! Once the book is ready, usually within a week or so, you’ll receive an email notification. You can then head to the circulation desk at Frost Library to pick it up.
And most importantly—enjoy your book! 📖✨
Thank you again for reading my blog today! As always feel free to email me at ttanaka28@amherst.edu if you have any questions or simply wanna chat about Amherst with me!!! Thanks!