It’s finally the end of the school year and one of the biggest concerns we have as students is our books. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and the campus closed, many students were concerned with what to do with their books at the end of the spring semester. The fear of paying a late fee or holding onto a textbook that has certainly lost its significance now that classes have ended, has been looming over us.

Recently, the Skyline College Bookstore sent out an email mentioning the dates, locations, and proper protocols required for returning rental books to campus, as safe as possible.

First and foremost, absolutely do not come to campus if you are sick. This can range from feeling feverous or having a bad cough.

Secondly, in accordance with the San Mateo County Health statement, which has been effective since April, it is required to wear a face mask. While on campus to return your books, you should be wearing a face mask, maintaining a 6 feet distance from others and to come by yourself, no family or friends are allowed to come with you. These are necessary means to reduce as many people on campus and to make the drop off as quickly as possible.

The drop off location is near Building 4, around the Skyline College Express, and will occur on these dates:

May 21, Thursday: 12-6p.m

May 27, Wednesday: 12-6p.m

May 28, Thursday: 12-6p.m

If you feel uncomfortable going on campus or simply the dates do not align with your schedule, the Skyline College Bookstore has also provided another way, which is to mail it to them.

They suggest mailing it through UPS or FedEx Ground, as they provide a “track my package” feature, if anything were to happen during its transit. This is in precaution as the Bookstore is not responsible if it gets lost, damaged or gets delayed. In addition, you must also provide a note somewhere inside the package with your student ID number.

If you were hoping to participate in the “buy-back” process, there are two ways to go about it. The first option is to hold on to your books, wait, and visit the Skyline College Bookstore website every now and then for any updates.

“At this time due to COVID-19 social distancing and safety protocols, spring 2020 on campus book buy backs has been postponed” the Skyline College Bookstore writes.

This leads to the next option, which is that, if you feel the necessity to sell your books right away, the bookstore provided a link here to their online partner. The website serves as an online buyback service. When directed to the website, it will ask for you to enter the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which is 13-digits long. This will be found on the back of the book cover, on top of the barcode. Thereafter, it will show its buyback value and you can proceed from there. This option also involves a shipping process.

Finally, the Bookstore stated that the last day to return your books is May 28. 

“Rental items not returned by June 4 2020, will be billed to the credit/debit card account on file which you provided at the time you rented the item.”

Similar to anytime a student has any fees on their account, their WebSMART account will be affected. Any unpaid fees will lead to that student to be dropped from all of their upcoming classes.

The Skyline College Bookstore has made multiple accommodations, adjustments, and made use of resources to provide their Skyline students with the means to keep everyone healthy during this careful time in our lives. With finals rolling in and classes ending, this is the closure many students needed to finish out the year.

Update: Along with books checked out from the library, all other materials including Chromebooks and hotspots that students checked out during the spring semester should be returned at this time as well.