Although buying books may not be the most exciting activity after arriving at college, it must be done. The process can run smoothly if students are aware of a few essentials.

The process starts in the Penn State Bookstore, located in the HUB-Robeson Center. Students type their student numbers -- most often their Social Security numbers -- into one of the computers located near the back of the store in the text department. A list of courses and the books these courses require can then be printed for free.

Texts in the Penn State Bookstore are labeled by class and should be easy to find, said Rachel Mastis, an employee.

The Student Book Store (SBS), 330 E. College Ave., and the University Book Centre, 206 E. College Ave., provide additional options. Students can also check out Webster's Bookstore Café, 128 S. Allen St.

Students might also want to shop around online and compare prices with online booksellers such as VarsityBooks.com (www.varsitybooks.com) or Big Words (www.bigwords.com).

"[Buying books] was pretty simple -- I used the Penn State Bookstore and the Student Book Store and found what I needed," Julie Laderman (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said.

The stores sell new and used books.

SBS, also known as "Big Blue" because of its colorful exterior, offers a unique service for students. Students may reserve their books for fall online at www.thestudentbookstore.com, by calling SBS at (814) 237-7616, or by picking up an order form in the store.

"When students arrive, they can simply come in and pick up their box of books," Norm Brown, SBS general manager, said.

Used books comprise a large part of the store's business.

"Twenty-five percent of what we sell is used," Brown said.

At the end of the Fall Semester, students might want to sell back their books.

Bookstores will give students cash for used books, even if the books were bought at a different store, as long as the book will be required for the next semester.

"We buy back books every day," Brown said. "If a student has a book that is used in the fall, we give the student half of the new price, regardless of whether they bought the book new or used."