Cerritos College students will be able to rent textbooks from the Cerritos College bookstore for the first time in the school’s history starting this semester.

The rental program has been put into place for students who can’t afford the cost of a new or used textbook.

The rental program comes to Cerritos College through the services of Rent-a-text, a company which brings rentable textbooks to more than 800 bookstores around the country.

With the addition of this new program, students can save up to 50 percent on their textbooks.

Nadia James, an employee at the bookstore and former Cerritos student likes the idea of rental textbooks. “It gives a better opportunity for people to actually pay for their books without really having to worry all that much about finances.”

“I guess the only worry would be that people don’t return the books on time because then the fees get really outrageous.”

She added, “I just kind of wish that it was for more books.”

But what is the student response to the new program?

Andres Alegria, an employee at the bookstore and current student at Cerritos majoring in Graphic Design said, “I would say maybe 50 percent are interested [in book rentals].”

The bookstore allows students to rent textbooks that are eligible. Students can hand their books back to Cerritos College at the end of the semester.

Of the 1,300 textbooks available at the bookstore, roughly 300 are available as rentals and Cerritos plans to expand that number every semester.

The policy allows students a limited amount of writing and highlighting in the textbooks.

Vincent Garcia, an undecided major is excited about the rental program. “I’ve never heard of it before until now. You hardly ever keep most of the books you have to buy anyways.”

Garcia went on to say, “Might as well pay less in the first place.”

In fact, student discounts have led to an increase in business for the bookstore. Alegria says, “The sales have gone up dramatically.”

But an increase in business for the bookstore has also created longer lines, which have stretched all along the outer wall of the bookstore.

Monique Hille, a student in the Dental Assistant Program, expressed that she was “Not too happy,” with the wait. But the line had no effect on Hille’s sense of humor, joking, “I don’t even get to go on a ride at the end.”

Students Victoria Chavez and Rae Shine walked into the store in disbelief. “They need more people,” said Chavez, who is a business major.

Shine, a business management major, was pressed for time. “I hope I can get out of here in thirty minutes.”

The bookstore will be open from 7:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. for the rest of the special fall rush hours, which ends on August 27.

It returns to the standard hours of 7:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. from Monday-Thursday and from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays thereafter.