I just finished my 7th semester of college and with less than one semester left, I thought I should finally write this post.

For the record, this post isn’t some pyramid scheme, or me trying to sell you a website that gives you coupons, or telling you to buy textbooks from overseas (although that is also a really really good way of saving $$$.)

No, none of that. I think too often nowadays we are bombarded with so many things that are too good to be true that we automatically become cynical of the good things in the world. So, when someone promises free textbooks, we turn the other way. That is definitely part of the problem. The really big problem.

The problem

As of 2014, average student debt has reached $30,000 per student. That is A LOT of money owed. Have you ever stopped to think what we are really paying for, as students? We pay for our tuition, room & board, and a bunch of fees. On top of that, we have to pay for books, meals, and transportation. Wouldn’t it be great if part of our tuition and fees covered some of those miscellaneous expenses?

During my freshman year, I found out that, indeed, it does. I was looking for a way to borrow a geography textbook for a few hours, just so I could read enough to finish my homework for the week. I headed to the Earth and Mineral Sciences Library at Penn State and checked out the book on course reserve for two hours. Now, many of you already know about course reserve (course reserve is NOT how I never bought a book, but bear with me), but for those of you who don’t know, it’s available at almost every university library and allows you to check out the book for usually about two hours and read it within the library. However, the library was about to close that day, so I asked the librarian if there was any way I could keep the book over night. Sadly, she told me no. However, she then told me one of the most well kept secrets (for no good reason) in all of the college experience.

The Inter Library Loan (ILL) Network

The inter library loan network is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a huge global network of colleges and universities who’s libraries have agreed to lend out books to each other. That means, even if the university you attend doesn’t have your chemistry 101 textbook within its library’s walls, you can borrow the same book, at no charge from a library somewhere else in the world. Oh, and did I mention that you can more often then not keep the book for the ENTIRE SEMESTER? It sounds too good to be true so let me break it down to its components.

How the ILL works

Figure out what book you want to borrow Go on your university’s library website and search for the book. I’ve found the easiest way to get the exact book you’re looking for is to use the ISBN. Here is Purdue’s ILL page. Click through the steps to borrow a book, they are a little bit different for each school’s library website. For Penn State you just click “I want it.” Wait just a few days. Usually within a week. Pick up the book at your university’s library. Use the textbook, do homework, sleep with it under your pillow for the whole semester. Return at the end of the semester and save over $100 per book.

It even comes with an awesome piece of paper to tell you that you saved money.

If these steps sound a little bit familiar, it is because it takes basically the same amount (if not less) effort to use ILL compared to renting a book online. Yet, many people that I’ve explained ILL to tell me it sounds like too much work and it’s easier to just buy the book. So I’m guessing you’re going to ask me: is it worth it?

Is it worth it?

Here are all the books that I have gotten for free from ILL: