The difficulty, Mooney said, is in predicting what classes will be taught in the future so that the right used books can be bought.
"Whenever we can, we try aggressively to get book orders early from faculty members," he said. "That's what makes it successful, to know ahead of time what books will be needed."
Students interviewed said they often take matters into their own hands.
"We're doing a lot more book-sharing than we used to," said Melissa E. Swift '98. "And after a few years you build up a store of books, so it's not as bad."
Still, many students seem to agree with the feelings Extension School student Brian Smith said he has about buying textbooks:
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"It sucks.