CarmenBooks is a program that offers digital copies of selected textbooks for a fraction of the cost of a new, physical copy. Through a partnership with Redshelf, the university negotiates for a better price on behalf of all students in the course.
With CarmenBooks, your students can:
- Save up to 80% off the retail price for course materials.
- Access digital course materials through CarmenCanvas via the CarmenBooks link on the global navigation bar and through the navigation bar in your published course.
- Retain access to certain RedShelf course materials (publisher dependent) for as long as they are a student at Ohio State.
Getting Involved
How do I get involved?
For more information or to get started with CarmenBooks, contact carmenbooks@osu.edu. Be sure to include your course name and current textbook information (title, edition, publisher, etc.)
If I'm interested, how do I look up if my book is available?
Currently, you can check availability by emailing carmenbooks@osu.edu. You can also search your title on redshelf.com but not everything available there is also available through our program.
How do I order my selected textbook?
Selecting and ordering materials for your course is only available during a defined period before enrollment for a semester begins. Learn more about ordering materials.
If I sign up, how long am I committing to use CarmenBooks?
There is no long-term commitment. In fact, participants are asked to reconfirm their orders each semester.
This allows faculty to not only opt-out of participating, but also change their instructional materials at any point.
The orders for a given semester must be made before its order period closes. The deadline is usually the week before students begin to register for classes.
What if I assign multiple books for my class?
When ordering your materials, faculty can assign multiple digital textbooks or combinations of them and publisher courseware to a course.
Which publishers' materials are available in the program?
The entire catalogs of many of the nation's largest publishers -- Cengage, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson, for example -- are available. Titles from smaller publishers are available as well.
To check on a specific text, contact carmenbooks@osu.edu.