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 Unizin, the university negotiates for a better price on behalf of all students in the course.
With CarmenBooks, your students can:
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Save up to 80% off the retail price for course materials.
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Access digital course materials through CarmenCanvas before their class begins.
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Retain access to Unizin e-Reader course materials 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. There will soon be a searchable catalog of eligible titles.
How do I "order" my selected textbook?
Selecting and ordering the textbook for your course is only available during a defined period before enrollment for a semester begins.
If you have expressed interest in the program, you will receive a notification when the period begins and instructions on how to complete your order.
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, typically about a month before students begin to register for classes.
What if I assign multiple books for my class?
When ordering your materials, faculty are able to assign multiple digital textbooks or combinations of digital textbooks and publisher courseware to a course.
We do not recommend participating in CarmenBooks if you assign multiple textbooks and one or more of them is unavailable through CarmenBooks.
This recommendation is based on providing clear messaging to students about what to expect.
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 several other smaller publishers are as well.
For a full list, or to check on a specific text, contact carmenbooks@osu.edu.