Renting a movie is kind of like trial and error. You rent one movie only to find you don’t like it, so, you simply return it for a better one. While renting textbooks doesn’t exactly adopt this same philosophy, it does offer a better solution.

Area universities have been trying out a new program with students allowing them to rent a textbook and return it, while other students in need of the same textbook can rent it as they please.

The book rental program seems beneficial for two big reasons. The obvious: It saves students money on a textbook that would normally cost them $200 and come sell-back time, would only receive, maybe, $50 of that back. The more hidden reason: Instead of waiting two or three weeks after classes begin to eventually receive your textbook, students can rent and return books, while allowing other students the same option. This way no one really has to go without a book for an extended period of time – unless they just really don’t want the book.

While UK Bookstore does not have the option as of yet, Kennedy Bookstore is looking into the option. Another benefit of buying books at UK — well, minus the whole cleaning out your pocketbook aspect — is the books purchased at the university bookstore goes into the UK scholarship fund. So, while it does burn a whole in student’s pockets, it’s allowing other students the opportunity to go to school.

At the end of the whole renting/buying your books debate, both options seem to have good drawbacks. Help others go to school and save money, those seem to be the two big things in the which-option-is-better debate.

While neither option seems to be better, it would be nice for students to have the option of renting if they want. Some students do not care to fork over $200 on a book they will never use once the class is over. Other students would prefer to rent, simply because they use the book, literally, three or four times throughout the whole semester. So, renting, for them, would be easier.

So, while we are not renting a movie here, it is pretty obvious that some people like to try it out before buying. Giving students the option to rent a book could be beneficial, and, if they so choose, buy the book while contributing to the scholarship fund.