Associated Students of Madison to hold fourth textbook swap

The Associated Students of Madison (ASM) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is hosting another textbook swap from Friday, Aug. 28-Sunday, Aug. 30, at Gordon Commons 2A.

Run by ASM’s academic affairs committee, the swap will allow students to save money by buying and selling their used textbooks to one another.

“I think it’s a good opportunity for students to get around the textbook costs, which are outrageous,” says academic affairs committee chair and UW–Madison sophomore Jonah Zinn.

On Aug. 28, students can drop off textbooks they hope to sell at Gordon Commons. The next day, students can browse the selection for their fall semester’s books. Students can pick up their money and unsold books on Aug. 30.

Hours for the event are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

This will be the fourth semester ASM is holding the textbook swap, but it’s the first time ASM hosted a pre-swap drop-off at the end of last semester.

Zinn says they already have more than 1,100 books in stock, and they are expecting more on Aug. 28.

Last semester, more than 600 books were exchanged, and an estimated $10,000 was saved.

“I think it’s a really good service we can offer,” Zinn says. “My thought for it is to try to make it into a larger thing that students can get on board with.”

Zinn adds that students taking introductory classes will be most likely to find the books they’re looking for, though they do have a wide array of upper-level course books.