| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 49.46 |
| Liaison | Margaret Bounds |
| Submission Date | March 2, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Connecticut College
IN-24: Innovation A
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Margaret
Bounds Director of Sustainability Office of Sustainability |
Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
The Lending Library, which was started in Fall 2013 by students in the Office of Sustainability in collaboration with Residence Life, is an attempt to address the issue of textbook affordability at Connecticut College. The Lending Library currently contains over 2,100 books (1,888 unique titles), used in courses and serves over 100 students per semester. The collection includes STEM and language textbooks as well as fiction and nonfiction books. Most books are given to the Lending Library as donations at the end of each semester.
In addition, starting in Spring 2016, the Lending Library has purchased the most expensive textbooks for high-enrollment courses and placed them on reserve at the campus library for the semester to further increase free access to textbooks. Students can rent a book from the Lending Library for free at the beginning of each semester and keep it for the duration of their course (one or two semesters).
In Fall 2017, the Lending Library had 140 users who borrowed 266 books. In Spring 2018, 110 users borrowed 224 books. Based on the cost of purchasing these books at the college bookstore, the Lending Library has saved students approximately $21,000 per semester this year.
Which of the following impact areas does the innovation most closely relate to? (select up to three):
Waste
Diversity & Affordability
A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.