Parkland Bookstore Frequently Asked Questions

Store Information

What are your store hours?
We are open Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm. If Parkland College is closed for a holiday, we are also closed for holiday. For 8 weeks in the summer, typically June-July, we are closed on Fridays. Yay for unions!

Where are you located?
We are located in the student union. If you are coming in from Bradley, the best parking lot is the third left in, parking lot B. If you are coming in from Mattis, make a left once you reach Parkland Way, and then the first right into parking lot B.

Why do you sell looseleaf textbooks and not bound books?
Publishers have made the choice to sell unbound, looseleaf textbooks because it is cheaper for them. It also makes it more difficult to reuse or resell these textbooks, so they end up earning more money because more copies are sold directly from them. It is also more common for instructors to use access codes, which typically come included with looseleaf textbooks. Access codes can only be used once, also allowing publishers to make more money this way. If it were up to us, we would offer bound books. But unfortunately, this issue is out of our hands.

Do you buy back books? When does Book Buyback happen?
Book buyback is always done during finals week. We don't know what books are accepted until that week begins. Typically, looseleaf textbooks are not accepted, but it's always worth a shot! Feel free to bring in any kind of book, not just textbooks, and we can check to see if our third-party buyer is interested in purchasing them from you.

What is your return policy?
Textbooks can be returned up to two weeks after the start date of the class. We are unable to accept returns after two weeks because our policy is in-sync with class drop dates. Please keep this in mind when dropping classes. We are a small business after all, and can't accept books that have clearly been used throughout the semester. You are welcome to try to sell them during buy back week, the same week as finals.

Textbook Information

Can I order my books for the next semester?
No. Books tend to change between semesters, and we can't guarantee that books purchased in the Spring semester will be the correct books for the Fall semester. We also are unable to accept returns outside of the semester that the books were purchased in.

It's the first day of class and I still don't have my textbooks!
Take a deep breath. Exhale. It's going to be okay. It is very, very rare that you would need 100% of your materials on the first day of class. In fact, most students can get away without having their textbooks for the first week. I tell students to start class first, confirm your materials, and then come in to get what you need. Sometimes, and I can't tell you why, instructors require materials, and then decide the day of class that they're unncessary. So to forego the headache of possibly returning your items, realizing you don't have your receipt anymore, and waiting in line, just wait. I promise you will be okay without your textbooks for at least the first day.

I purchased a book from a different retailer but it doesn't have the code I need for my class. Do you sell the code separately?
Typically, the answer is no. The only codes we sell separately are for BIO 121 & BIO 122. You can purchase the code directly from the publisher's website. Your instructor should have more information about where to find the code. If you are using financial aid, be sure to purchase directly from Parkland Bookstore in cases like this. Otherwise you will have to wait until you receive your financial aid check/direct deposit.

How can I purchase a used book?
If there is a used option, the 'Used' button will be active, and you will be able to add it to your cart. If the 'Used' button is inactive, there are no used books available.

Can I rent textbooks?
We are unable to offer rentals, unfortunately. Most textbooks these days are sold as a looseleaf that come with an access code. Because of this, book rentals are no longer feasible for our business.

What is an access code?
Access codes give the student access to an online portal where modules and activities can be assigned by the instructor. Access codes will typically include e-book access as well. Not every instructor uses access codes, but if they do, they will have the information you need on their syllabus.

Online Order Informaton

I placed my order on the first day of class and I still haven't received my books.
If you need your books ASAP, the fastest way to get them is to have your schedule and come into the store. We can help you locate your books. This does not mean place an order for pick-up. Orders are completed in the sequence they are received, so if you placed your order on the day first of class, it can take up to 10 business days to fulfill your order because the orders are handled by real people. Keep in mind over 8,000 students are attempting to purchase their books as well, and we are a staff of three full-time and three part-time people.

I placed an order x amount of days ago and it's still not ready. What should I do?
If you placed your order a few weeks before class starts: We are still waiting for all of the books to arrive. We order them the last week of the previous semester and receive them daily over the course of the next couple of weeks. If your order has more than two books unavailable, your order is on hold until we receive those books.

If you placed your order the weekend before the start date of class, or the week of the first day of class: Please be patient while we process orders. Due to the high volume of orders, it takes a bit longer to process because we are a team of humans (not robots!) fulfilling these orders by hand.

I'm trying to order my books but I can't add them to the cart.
The catalogs for each semester become available three weeks before the first class start date. We simply don't have the room to store these books, so we don't begin ordering them until the last week of the previous semester. We begin the process of switching the books from the previous semester to the next one as the books come in. It is also worth noting, is it very rare that you would need your books the first week of class, let alone the first day. I recommend students begin class first to confirm what materials are necessary, and then come into the bookstore and go from there.

I placed an online order for an access code and haven't received an email with the code.
Access codes are printed on physical sheets of paper that have a scratch-off box with the access code underneath the foil. Because of this, we don't automatically send the code to the email address, and the process is the same as if you purchased a textbook for pick-up or shipping. If you would like, you can leave a comment when checking out to request the code be emailed to you. This will prevent you from being able to return the code, regardless of whether you use it or not.

I ordered a book but it wasn't in my order when I received it.
If you take a look at your receipt/mail order packing list and don't see the book on there, you'll notice that you weren't charged for the item. The book was removed because it was out of stock and we wanted to speed up the rest of your order. It's likely that we won't have the book for awhile due to delays from publishers. We are living in a post-pandemic world, and things just take more time unfortunately. Please place a new order for the book and it will be fulfilled once the book is in stock.

I ordered a book but the status says 'Backorder, will ship asap'
This means we don't currently have the book in stock. This is likely due to publisher delays. Once we begin ordering books for a semester, we receive books daily and the process can take some time. Thank you for your patience.

I placed an order awhile ago and the charge dropped off my bank statement.
Each order has to manually be processed. Orders are done in the sequence that they were placed. It's possible we haven't gotten to your order and the placeholder fell off your account. You have not been charged for any order until the status of the order says Completed. This is not the case for financial aid orders. Financial Aid orders are processed differently because our system is not compatible with the college software used to process financial aid orders.

I'm getting a message that says a textbook is unavailable at this time when attempting to purchase a book for a specific course number and section.
The most likely scenario is that there is no textbook for this class. Another likely scenario is that the instructor didn't submit their required materials on time, so we didn't have anything to add to the system. If you discover that there should be an option, please contact us and let us know.

How do I know what books I need for my classes?
Pull up your schedule on selfserv.parkland.edu and login with your Parkland credentials. Locate the Academics drop down menu on the left-hand sidebar. Click Student Planning and then Plan & Schedule. Your schedule is on the left side of the reader pane. Notice the Course (the three abbreviated letters of the class name), the course number (the first number after the course name), and the section number (the numbers and/or letter combination after the course number). Now that you have your schedule, you can click the Textbook option on the parklandbookstore website and fill out the form accordingly. The section is very important as different sections can have completely different textbooks.

Financial Aid and Bookstore Voucher Information

I used financial aid as a form of payment and placed my order awhile ago and I still haven't received it. What should I do?
If it's a few weeks before class starts and not too busy, I will attempt to contact you regarding your financial aid status. If it is the week of class, I'm unable to contact every person who has an issue with their form of payment. It is likely you don't have any aid in your financial aid account. If this is the case, please contact the Financial Aid office and see what you can do to speed up this process.

I need to use financial aid, but it's not an option in the drop-down menu.
Financial aid becomes available three weeks before class starts, and ends four weeks after class starts. If it's not an option, it is unavailable. Once you receive your check or direct deposit, you can use your funds to purchase supplies as needed.

Can I purchase clothing or supplies using financial aid?
Yes. If you are shopping in-store, you must have your physical ID to make purchases.

How do I get a bookstore voucher?
Bookstore vouchers are available for students utilizing state-funded programs like SWFT or WIOA, or sometimes even an employer that is sponsoring their employees. The financial aid office would have more information about these programs.

How can I contact you if my question wasn't answered?
You can reach us at bookstore@parkland.edu or our phone number at 217.351.2212