Course Materials

Requisition Information For Traditional Courses

Faculty plays a larger role than you might recognize in ensuring students are able to obtain the course materials they need at reasonable prices. California Baptist University Campus Store relies on you, the instructors and faculty, to submit requisitions for your classes in a timely fashion each semester. Timely requisitions allow us to source the correct course materials and obtain an appropriate supply of used textbooks. We all know more used textbooks are exactly what students want!

On the other hand, a delayed requisition can result in inventory shortages and a lack of quality used textbooks for students.

Please do your part and submit your requisitions as early as possible each semester. Your students will thank you!

Receiving requisitions by the due date is important because it benefits students in a number of ways. First, it provides an opportunity for students to utilize our buyback program to sell back textbooks that are being used again the following semester and to receive the maximum cash back for those titles. Secondly, it allows students to then purchase those textbooks the following semester at a lower “used” price and save money. Buyback is held during finals week, and specific dates and times are listed on the Campus Store website. 

To ensure that we provide exactly what instructors need for each of their classes and to make the course materials ordering process a success for everyone, there are a few guidelines to please keep in mind:

  • Please fill out the Traditional Course Materials Requisition Form in its entirety including the departmental authorized approver's signature (either handwritten or electronically signed) to indicate adoption approval.                                                                                          
  • List the course’s specific section letter(s). If new sections are added to a course after the original requisition is submitted, please submit either a new or a revised requisition reflecting the added section letter(s). (Do not simply label it “All Sections”)                        
  • Please list both the title of the text and the 13 digit ISBN in the first column.             
  • In the second column, please indicate whether or not the supplemental material (such as codes, CDs, DVDs, extra pamphlets, etc.) is required to complete the course. Many vendors now include extra material with their new copies of textbooks (access codes, DVDs, CDs, pamphlets, etc.), and it is very important for the ordering process to know whether or not the extra material is required. If the supplemental material is NOT needed, the Campus Store will attempt to secure used copies of the textbook which most likely will not have the supplemental material included. IF YOU REQUIRE ONLY THE TEXTBOOK/EBOOK, PLEASE MARK THIS COLUMN AS "NO".                                                                              
  • If faculty will be directing students to obtain free library copies of a text, please include a notation of this on the requisition form to assist with order decisions.                                                                               
  • Old Editions/Voucher Students - When publishers decide to move to a new edition it changes the status of the previous edition to become an “old” edition. Adopting the newest edition assists students who wish to use their book vouchers (including athletes with scholarships and veterans) since vouchers can only be used at the Campus Store. 
  • If an instructor chooses to use an old edition that the Campus Store is unable to provide, a note will be placed on the shelf tag for that title and book voucher students (including athletes with scholarships and veterans) will be directed to the TRAD/GRAD department for instructions on how to obtain their course materials unless other arrangements have been made.
  • Due to NCAA rules, the Campus Store is prohibited from selling ANY material to Athletic Voucher students unless it is officially listed as required on a Requisition Form.
  • Publisher Rentals are becoming more and more common with publishers (Pearson and McGraw Hill especially). Essentially, the publisher sends the book to the Campus Store which we then rent to the students. The rental version is generally much more cost effective for students. However, per the publisher, if students do not return their rental textbooks by the return deadline they will be charged penalties that could equal up to 3 times the cost of a new textbook.  The total amount will vary depending on the publisher.

    In addition, we are contractually restricted from selling the rental version to students; we can only rent it. So, if the intent is to have students keep the material, faculty may prefer to order an alternative format (such as loose-leaf or digital) of the textbook.

  • Special Order Forms are required for some course materials that have no return privileges from the publisher. These forms assist in determining the proper quantities to be ordered and require approval signatures to indicate that the department will purchase all unsold copies from the Campus Store.
  • Desk Copies - Faculty should contact their Department Secretary or Administrative Assistant to receive instructions on how to obtain free desk copies from the publisher. 
  • All requisitions are to be approved and signed by the departmental authorized approver and submitted to the Campus Store by the Department’s Secretary or Administrative Assistant no later than:

 FALL 2023 - Mar. 6th, 2023  

 SPRING 2024 - Sept. 25th, 2023   

 SUMMER 2024 - Feb. 12th, 2024   

  • Approved requisitions will be submitted by the Department Secretary or Administrative Assistant via email to coursematerials@calbaptist.edu either as PDFs or Excel documents. (We kindly request for those using Excel documents to not send one large Excel attachment containing multiple tabs at the bottom of the sheet for the entire department. Instead, please send Excel documents as individual attachments per course. Feel free to send one email with multiple Excel document attachments. Following this submission format assists immensely with the efficiency of processing.) Thank you so much!
  • All requisitions submitted after the due date will have delayed processing until the requisitions submitted by the due date have been ordered. Course materials listed on requisitions submitted after the due date are not guaranteed to arrive and be shelved in time for the start of classes. If it is decided by a department to have late orders expedited, that department could incur those additional costs.

  • Any changes made to requisitions in which orders have already been placed could result in the department incurring the costs for inbound/return shipping fees and restocking fees. All replacement materials will be treated in the same manner as a late requisition.
  • If an instructor decides after an order has been placed that course material listed on a requisition as “required” is no longer required, that department could incur the additional costs associated with those returns which includes inbound/return shipping fees, restocking fees, and any other costs that occur as a result. If this situation involves a textbook that came shrink wrapped and the student has already opened it or an access code which has already had the key revealed, the department could incur the cost of the material itself since it is no longer returnable to the publisher.
  • Returns - We have a very limited time to return course materials that are not being used the following semester. All unsold materials must be returned to the publishers right away to avoid incurring additional fees. Because editions are so unpredictable, even those course materials that might possibly be used in future semesters (but not the immediate semester following) must still be returned. To be good stewards of the University’s finances, we adhere to this policy.

Hopefully this information is helpful and provides a bit of background on how the ordering process works for us here at the Campus Store. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these requisition guidelines, we are always glad to be of assistance. Thank you in advance for your help in making the textbook ordering process a success!

With appreciation,

Lori Morgan
Manager of Course Materials