Selection and adoption
The University of Arizona Libraries and the campus-owned Campus Store work together to assist instructors in finding free and low-cost materials for their course needs. In full support of academic freedom, faculty are encouraged to adopt quality course materials to support the curriculum while keeping affordability in mind. Instructors need to submit adoptions even if no textbooks are required.
We are a digital-preferred campus and our Main Campus undergraduate courses use Pay One Price, a flat-rate textbook program that provides day one access to required texts. All other courses use Inclusive Access.
The Libraries purchase unlimited-licensed ebooks for undergraduate and graduate courses when possible. Library-licensed ebooks and open educational resources (OER) are an important part of the Pay One Price program and help lower its overall cost. Please keep in mind that the libraries are only able to purchase around 20% of requested titles with the appropriate license due to publisher limitations.
The Libraries offer a wide variety of licensed resources for courses. Please note that they do not offer print or electronic course reserves.
Course materials from the library
Textbook adoption deadlines
As an instructor, you should submit your textbook adoptions to the Campus Store prior to these deadlines:
- Fall courses: March 17
- Winter & Spring courses: October 10
- Summer courses: February 14
Adopting course materials
Campus units and departments may have specific processes in place for course materials and adoptions through the Campus Store.
Use the Course Site Request Tool for D2L Brightspace.
You must be the Primary Instructor, as listed in UAccess, to request your course sites.
Not listed? Contact your department scheduler.
New course sites must be requested every semester for every course.
Cost
What will students pay for the product or service? Are you aware of what the cost will be to students? If students opt out of Pay One Price or Inclusive Access, they will be responsible for purchasing on their own.
Pay One Price costs rely on instructors not adopting unnecessary items and adopting low-cost materials. Pay One Price is a set price, but it is subject to change based on the number of materials submitted and the cost of those materials.
- Does the publisher or platform work with VitalSource? For suppliers or content providers who do not work with VitalSource, students will be responsible for sourcing those materials, often requiring a credit card.
Does the library have (or could it acquire) an unlimited-licensed ebook version so students can access for free? This helps keep the cost of Pay One Price down.
Do you need the videos that can accompany a textbook? If so, you will need to adopt through the Campus Store. The Libraries’ ebook versions do not contain videos.
Accessibility
What accessibility features are available?
As a digital-preferred campus, if adopting a print title, will this be suitable for students who need special accommodations?
Will there be a delay in student access if Disability Services has to request permission to adapt or share accessible copies if using print?
Integration with D2L Brightspace
Can content be integrated into D2L Brightspace? If so, please note that time required for implementation can vary.
Can students access within their course site rather than having to log in through another platform?
Are you adopting or adding a tool that requires students to create a separate account? Some tools are supported by campus, but when not supported by campus, troubleshooting will be by the instructor.
For an unsupported tool or platform, what are their student privacy practices?
Customer support
How responsive does the publisher seem to be when issues arise?
What are the ways that students can contact customer support?
What are customer support hours of operation?
Features
Do you need videos and other supplemental resources?
What additional tools are available for student use such as highlighting, annotations, text-to-speech, etc.?
Are AI tools available and is this a feature you can turn off or on?
- Use our Check for ebook availability form to check on an unlimited license.
- Please note that we have thousands of limited-licensed ebooks that are not suitable to course use due to limited access. Use the form and let the Libraries check for you!
- Browse some of the Libraries' unlimited-licensed ebooks to see if there is something you can use (a partial list).
- Need just a few chapters? Use Document Delivery service to request chapters and articles.
- See a current list of Libraries' ebooks used in courses in our Course Ebooks tool.
Anyone teaching a course is required to submit an adoption every semester, including Summer and Winter terms. If you do not plan to require students to purchase course materials, please select "no textbook required".
After submitting an adoption:
- The Libraries review all adoptions to see what they own and what can be purchased with an unlimited license.
- The Libraries share this information with the Campus Store.
- The Libraries send emails directly to instructors when Libraries can provide the unlimited ebook.
- The Campus Store purchases what the Libraries cannot provide.
- Both Libraries' ebooks and Campus Store materials are added to the Pay One Price/Inclusive Access module in D2L.
Late adoptions
If you are unable to meet the adoption deadline, please submit as soon as possible. Please try to avoid the very busy 3 weeks prior to the start of the semester to avoid delays. Some materials may require an extended period of time to set up, so a late adoption may result in materials being unavailable.
Streaming video for course use
Please note that titles can drop out of availability from one semester to the next, so please do not reuse or copy over streaming links.
UCATT provides access to a variety of instructional tools that can support your teaching. Please note that if you choose a tool that is not included in D2L Brightspace or supported by UCATT, you will be responsible for providing support to your students.
The Campus Store
Pay One Price is a flat-rate course materials program from the UA Campus Store for all students enrolled in a Main Campus undergraduate course. Day 1 access and the convenience of having all their course materials in one location can help to boost student success.
What cannot be included in your Pay One Price adoption through the Campus Store:
- Apps
- Software
- Commercial website memberships
- Test booklets or preparation manuals
VitalSource is the platform used to deliver course materials in D2L Brightspace. Learn more about the features available in VitalSource ebooks. You can also sign up to access their Faculty Sampling Platform to preview thousands of textbooks.
Adopt your course materials