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Logan Library

Textbooks: Faculty

Textbook FAQ for Faculty

Q. When do I adopt the textbooks for my course?

Physical textbooks and digital resources are adopted the semester before the actual course begins. Textbooks for the summer and fall are adopted during the previous spring and textbooks for spring are adopted during the previous fall.

Q. How do I adopt a new textbook?

You will need to use FAST, the online adoption tool. Go to https://fast.ecampus.com and then enter your Schreiner email and a password (your password may need to be re-set). Then, select “Course Search” on the left navigation bar, and enter your name to pull up a list of all your courses in the search bar. Select the course by clicking on it. Then, click on the “Add Adoption” button to enter the ISBN for the item you would like to select. If you would like a textbook in digital format, add the ISBN and then select "Require eBook Only." (Our textbook provider uses the print ISBN and "select eBook only" tool. They almost never use the eText ISBN because of how they purchase the codes).

Then, click “Save” to save your choices. It is very important that you select the exact ISBN of the resource that you need. There is a unique ISBN assigned to different editions. 

Q. How do I adopt a textbook that I have used in a previous semester?

Select “Course Search” on the left navigation bar, select the correct semester and then enter your name in the search bar to pull up a list of all your courses. Select the course by clicking on it.

Then, click on the “View Adoption History” button. If you want to adopt these same items shown click on “Adopt this Item” next to each resource on the list that you want to adopt and then click “Add Adoptions” at the very bottom of the list.

Then, click “Save” to save your choices. 

Q. Will I receive an Instructor/Desk Copy?

If you are a current faculty member adopting a new textbook, during the adoption period you will need to indicate that you would like an instructor copy of the textbook in FAST.  Our eCampus partners will work with the publisher to try to obtain one and have it mailed to you directly. There is no guarantee that eCampus will be able to do this. You may need to reach out to the publisher directly to make sure that they have a desk copy available for you.

If you are a new faculty member and are coming on board after the eCampus adoption deadline, you will need to contact the publisher directly. You can let us know and we will find the publisher information for you. 

If you have adopted a digital resource for your course, you will most likely have complimentary online access. Anything that is in Canvas will have instructor access. Some publishers that provide access through the Digital Bookshelf (eCampus), will offer some kind of access or digital desk copy. If you have any questions about instructor access, contact us at textbooks@schreiner.edu.

Q. Can I adopt a workbook that students write in and do not need to return?

The FAST textbook adoption tool will default to selecting used textbooks that can be returned at the end of the semester. However, if you need consumable materials such as workbooks, access codes and so forth, be sure to change that default used setting to new in FAST. By doing this, you will be sure to receive workbooks that have not already been written in.

Q. What should I do if I am using Open Education Resources (OER) or other materials and do not need to order a textbook through eCampus?

If you do NOT need a commercial textbook for a course, please log in and indicate that in FAST as well by selecting "No Textbook Needed" so we know that you are all set.

Q. A few of my students did not receive their textbook on the first day of the class. Why did this happen?

If students did not register late, they should have received all of their textbooks in January for the spring terms and in August for the fall terms. If a student registers late for your course, the student will need to wait a few days while the item is ordered and then delivered to the library where they can pick it up. There are a few things that you can do to assist these students while they are waiting for their textbooks:

1) Let us know the students' names and the course or have them drop by the library and we can check if we have the appropriate textbook on hand from students who may have dropped the course and returned their textbook. We keep those books on our shelves and can quickly swap that book out.

2) Consider scanning a few chapters of the books you will be using the first few days of class and posting those in Canvas until the actual books arrive.

3) Consider adopting your academic content in digital format. In most cases we can provide the same content as a physical book but in digital format.

Q. Does Schreiner provide textbooks for all students?

No, Schreiner does not provide textbooks to the following students: 1) co-enrolled students, 2) students in the fully online undergraduate programs (RN to BSN, online Business Administration), and 3) graduate students. These students will need to purchase their own textbooks and/or digital access codes. These are not provided by Schreiner through the All-Access program.

Q. Am I able to sample an eBook?

Instructors have the ability to sample any eBook within the VitalSource catalog free of cost. Instructors can go to https://www.vitalsource.com/educators and set up an educator's account there.