Textbooks

I used to think that college textbooks are books that should always be kept close at hand, on a nearby bookshelf, or in a well-stocked personal library. To be able to access the information found amongst long rows of books, volumes, study guides, literature, and research materials always seemed to an interesting concept. Especially if these reference materials are arranged alphabetically, or arranged sequentially using some sort of educationally determined system, for example:

Science Books: biology, chemistry, astronomy, and physics
English Textbooks: writing, grammar, and punctuation
Business Texts: leadership, organizational behavior, and marketing
Humanities: drama, sociology, philosophy, and psychology

Within those academic categories, there may be subcategories of education-related topics (e.g. within the chemistry topic, there may be the subcategories of biochemistry, physical chemistry, organic and inorganic chemistry, and within the “leadership” category, there may be leadership of organizations, negotiation, etc.). Having one’s texts carefully organized and arranged in a proper manner allows for information to be retrieved more easily, without having to peruse volumes, tomes, and stacks of printed matter to find the applicable or appurtenant topic required for acquisition. Allowing for quick information retrieval is an important quality an educator’s or academic’s library should have (having “too much” information may not be as efficient as having the “right amount” of information). Using a hypothetical example where there are two college students: one with the right amount of college books, the other with too many textbooks. A similar question may be created, and then is subsequently posed to both students, and the one who can locate the appropriate information, retrieve the required data (“required information”), and supply the correct answer would “win” (for lack of a better word) a question/answer contest. The student with the right amount of books might be likely to locate the data faster than the student with too many textbooks. Having to sift through pages of information, numerous chapters, indices, and paragraphs certainly takes time. This sifting may actually provide the reader with additional knowledge and information beyond any immediate requirements; however, if there is a disproportionate amount of redundant information from which to find literary information versus an adequate amount, extra time may be needed for completion of the research task.

While attending a college, a vocational school, or a university, many of the courses in which students enroll may require the use of college textbooks (some students buy used textbooks at their bookstore). Some of these students (as in the previous paragraphs) may indeed have a large personal library, or long rows of textbooks on their bookshelves. But, the courses they enroll in, and attend, may require new books, used textbooks (some of these may have been acquired from academics who sell textbooks they no longer need), or other texts that they don’t already own. Of course, purchasing more books will increase their “book holdings” by whatever factor their purchases have influenced. During the college courses, students may study their books, commit to researching various topics using their books, and educate themselves with the help of their texts as well as whatever forum their educational institution provides (i.e. faculty and professors may use textbooks, and may give lectures in classrooms, assign homework, require research to be done on university-level topics). Through the repeated review and study of their textbooks, students may actually begin to memorize the contents. Memorization may take place through repetition: repeatedly reading and rereading paragraphs, passages, and chapters. In fact, it is likely that the contents of an entire book may be “downloaded” (one may even think “osmotically,” in a matter of speaking) into a pupil’s mind through edification, through repeated reading and evaluation. What happens when a student memorizes and learns from a used textbook so well that they don’t even have to open the text to find the information because it’s all been internalized? The answer may be: very quick information retrieval. Just as having one’s books arranged and organized in a library allows for more expedient gathering of information, having the educational knowledge and information contained in a textbooks memorized in one’s mind may also allow for this expeditious collection of information. At the end of a course of instruction at a college or university, a student may have acquired many numerous used books. There is the chance that many of the texts will be of use to that pupil in the future (as reference or research material). However, there is also the chance that the student may now have too many textbooks. Because some students desire to sell old textbooks, so they can use the money to purchase textbooks, they may search for various textbook buyback venues that other students may have used for book selling purposes (to sell used textbooks). There are quite a few places where lots of college graduates, undergraduates, and students sell textbooks (like Booksintocash.Com: Sell Books) in an attempt to sell books, and use the funds obtained to purchase textbooks. In this manner, an academic’s personal library may be cultivated to provide research material on a desired range of topics. These topics may include the ones mentioned (Science books, english texts, and humanities literature), and may also include other subjects too numerous to mention here, such as sociology, university physics, college mathematics, algebra, ancient and modern history, and literature. Sculpting a reference anthology or collection may prove quite useful for one’s future.

In conclusion, the aforementioned topics of information retrieval, the internalization of the subject matter found in used college textbooks, and the concept of wanting to sell textbooks to facilitate the acquisition of new or used textbooks with the goal of rendering an even more useful collection of literature may be an important and acceptable concept to evaluate. Although having too many texts may still be a good thing, to concurrently have and efficacious system of information collection and retrieval may be a useful disposition. When a student’s textbooks, information, and reference materials are arranged or categorized adequately, there is an even greater chance that any required resources can be gathered and used for the advancement of academic education and successfully used in a personal quest for knowledge in a most systematic manner.