Information for Students

Our commitment to you.

UM BookStore is owned by the University of Manitoba and operates on a cost recovery basis. BookStore profits are reinvested back into several areas around the university including education, infrastructure, research and other student activities.

Required vs. optional textbooks

Required textbooks contain necessary readings and materials chosen by your professor. Optional textbooks provide enhanced learning material related to your course, but they are not required to pass the course.

Coursepacks

Coursepacks are customized packages of articles or readings selected by your instructor and produced here on campus. Coursepacks are a popular option among professors as they reduce the number of individual books a student might otherwise have to buy.

Access codes

Access codes allow entry to enriched online resources created by textbook publishers to enhance the textbook experience. While they are not the same as e-books, access codes may include an e-book version of the textbook. If this is the case, access codes may be sold separately to students who wish to save money and are comfortable working in an online environment.

In some cases, your professor may specify to buy only one of the required textbook options, on their booklist. This usually means your textbook is available with and without a digital access code and that the access code is not required by your instructor for your course. If this is the case, you may choose to purchase:

  • Textbook with access code
  • Textbook only
  • Access code only
  • Used book

No refunds on Access codes.

Textbook rentals

Rentals are an affordable option – typically 30-45 per cent less than the purchase price –available to students at the BookStore. Contact the Fort Garry Bookstore to see which titles are available for rent.

E-textbooks

Purchasing e-textbooks

Most e-textbooks can be purchased through the BookStore, either in-store or online. When you purchase an e-textbook, the content will be delivered to you in one of several ways:

  • A printed card or sales receipt containing a redemption code
  • A printed card containing an access code
  • An email containing a direct download link
  • An email containing one or more links to access your item using a publisher or third-party e-book platform

Each format will contain instructions for accessing the content. Some e-textbooks require the use of an additional code – course ID, course key or class code – specific to your instructor and course. Your course instructor will supply this code if it is required.

E-textbooks purchased via a publisher or third-party e-book platform are usually time limited, meaning you do not own the textbook outright but are purchasing access to it for a limited period. This period can range from 150-days to life-of-edition.

No refunds on e-textbooks.

Redeeming your code (1:15)

Accessing your e-book (1:28)

Troubleshooting e-textbook issues

Below are some of the most common issues students run into with e-textbooks. If the issue you are experiencing is not listed below or if you continue to have problems accessing your e-textbook, email us at bookstore.textbooks@umanitoba.ca and we will help find a solution.

Redemption and access code issues

1. "Your redemption code has not been activated yet" error message
This message is the result of an error during the activation process. To fix this, please send an email to bookstore.textbooks@umanitoba.ca with the following:

  • A photo of your in-store card (showing the redemption code) and your sales receipt
  • A screenshot of the error message displayed when trying to redeem your code

Once your purchase and the cause of the error are verified, a BookStore staff member will activate your code and contact you when it is ready for redemption.

2. I redeemed my code, but have not received my e-textbook
Your e-textbook will be sent to the email you provided when redeeming the code you purchased. This email contains the information you need to access your textbook.

Steps to take:

  • Double-check your email inbox.
  • Check your junk or spam folders
  • Check any other email accounts you use

If none of your accounts has the email, your email address may have been entered incorrectly at the time of purchase. If you think this is the case, please contact bookstore.textbooks@umanitoba.ca from the email address you think you used when you redeemed your code.

3. My access code isn’t working
Access codes are issued and maintained by publishers. If you’ve received an email containing an access code along with instructions for registering the code, contact the publisher’s technical support team.

If there is no technical support team contact listed, contact bookstore.textbooks@umanitoba.ca from the address you think you used when you redeemed your code, and we will do our best to help.

BibliU e-reader issues

1. Accessing e-book purchases
Step-by-step instructions for accessing your UM BookStore / Campus eBookstore purchase.

2. My e-book is not loading
Try taking these steps if your e-book does not load in your BibliU e-reader.

Adobe Digital Edition (ADE) e-reader issues

1. My password is incorrect and I cannot authorize my ADE e-reader.
You will receive this error message if you’ve entered a password different from the one you used when you entered your redemption code to confirm the purchase of your e-textbook. If you can remember this password, attempt to authorize your ADE with it.

If you do not know this password, you will have to request a password reset through the campus e-bookstore using the same email you entered with your redemption code to confirm purchase of your e-textbook.

2. “E_ADEPT_REQUEST_EXPIRES” error message.
This issue is caused by a discrepancy between the time, date and/or time zone information on your device not matching up with the actual time when you are attempting to download your e-text.

If this is happening, review the time, date and time zone settings on your device and correct any discrepancies before re-attempting the download

3. “Adobe DRM client error 706” or “Adobe DRM client error 422” error message.
These error messages are typically the result of web accelerator software running on your device. Web accelerator software is known to interfere with the verification stage of the downloading process.

To fix this error, temporarily disable any web accelerator software before restarting the download.

4. “Fulfilled by another user” error message
There are two common causes of this issue:

  • You already have the e-textbook opened on another device
  • You authorized the ADE e-reader without using Campus eBookStore as the designated vendor

If you already have the e-textbook opened on another device, refer to Adobe’s information on content portability for possible solutions.

If you authorized the ADE e-reader without using Campus eBookStore as the designated vendor you will need to:

  • De-authorize and re-authorize ADEs
  • Re-download your e-textbook

De-authorizing

For Windows:
  1. Choose Start > Run
  2. In the Open text box, type regedit and then press Enter. The Registry Editor opens
  3. In the left pane of the Registry Editor, locate the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Adept
  4. Right-click the Adept key (folder) and choose Delete
  5. In the Confirm Key Delete dialog, click OK
 For Mac:
  1. Open Adobe Digital Editions
  2. Press Cmd-Shift-D to de-authorize Adobe Digital Editions
  3. Select Erase Authorization
  4. Click OK and quit Adobe Digital Editions
  5. Navigate to /Users/[[Your user account]]/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Digital Editions and drag the activation.dat file to the trash. ADE is now de-authorized

If for some reason you cannot navigate to the activation.dat file (Mac OS X 10.7 and later), please try the following:

  1. Go to the Finder menu
  2. Hold down the Option (Alt) key and select Go. This reveals the hidden user library
  3. Select Library
  4. Go to Application Support/Adobe/Digital Editions and delete the file named “activation.dat”

Re-authorizing

  1. Click on the link to your e-textbook (from your product instruction email). ADE should prompt you to authorize automatically.
  2. If you do not get the prompt to authorize and you have issues opening the book, then click Help > Authorize to start the process manually.
  3. Use Campus eBookstore (as the Vendor ID) and your Campus eBookstore credentials (email address and password used to redeem your digital material).

Once you have de-authorized and re-authorized your ADE, you can re-download the book from the campus e-book store.

Online orders and shipping information

Thinking about ordering a textbook online? These are answers to some of the most common questions we receive from students.

Order pickup and shipping times

Online orders are processed as they are received.

If you’ve placed an order for pickup, you will receive an email when your order is ready. During our busy seasons (September, January and May) it may take up to five days for your order to be ready for pickup.

If you’ve placed an order to be shipped, please note that shipping times are dependent on the destination and shipping method. Mail carrier volume and delays can also impact shipping time.

Order pending

If you’ve placed an order and received an order pending email, there is likely an issue with the billing address provided. Please check the information you provided for accuracy and send an email to bso@umanitoba.ca with your order number included.

Backordered items

If you’ve received an email that your items have been backordered, it means we’re out of stock and your order will be fulfilled once we receive the backorder. If you wish to cancel the backordered items, email your order number and request to cancel to bso@umanitoba.ca.

Cancelled orders on used textbooks

If you’ve selected ‘used only’ when ordering textbooks online and we do not have any in-stock, your order will be cancelled.

If you would like to purchase a new copy, you can reorder the textbook. If you don’t have a preference between new or used textbooks, consider checking ‘allow for substitutions’ when submitting orders.

Order changes and missing items

If you need to make a change to an order you’ve placed or if there are items missing from your order, email your order number and details to bso@umanitoba.ca.

Our online store accepts Visa, Mastercard, pre-paid credit cards and BookStore gift cards. If you do not have a credit card to pay for online orders and cannot come to the store to pay, contact bso@umanitoba.ca and we will do our best to help find an alternative.

Used textbooks and buyback

We work with faculty to re-adopt textbooks, which allows us to offer a used textbook market in as many courses as possible. Each year, we return hundreds of dollars to UM students through our textbook buyback program.

The dates for our BuyBack program will be announced on our homepage and our Instagram. Up to 50% of new book price will be offered for confirmed textbooks adopted for upcoming terms.

Used textbooks

We offer used textbooks on our shelves, right next to new textbooks. They cost 25 per cent less and are tax exempt. And YES: you can sell back your highlighted used texts through our seasonal in-person BuyBack program or online.

New and used textbooks pricing table

 

New textbook

Used textbook

Purchase cost

$100

$75

GST

$5

$0

Total

$105

$75

Return at buyback

$50

$50

Net cost of book

$55

$25

Sell used textbooks

Used textbooks are non-refundable, however you may be able to sell them online if your book is not eligible for buyback through BookStore.

Sell used textbooks

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Contact us

UM BookStore
140 UMSU University Centre
University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

204-474-8321
204-474-7555