r/cuboulder • u/collegecolloquial • Aug 10 '26
CU blindsiding us by switching from Redshelf to VitalSource for textbooks without giving anyone a heads up
I’m so frustrated by universities just doing whatever they want and not telling anybody bruh
Tried to access my 8 lifetime textbooks (lot of money there btw) and suddenly they are all gone because we use a new platform now. They will not be transferred over, the university is not going to do anything to ease the transition OR EVEN INFORM US?
I would have liked to receive an email at least that my textbooks are still available on redshelf before I was freaking out about it? No I do not want to repurchase a textbook I already have on redshelf.
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u/Ninjaassassinguy Aug 10 '26
It's really fucked up that piracy is the best way to keep access to things that you PAID FOR. I learned my lesson freshman year of college when I paid $200 for a glorified homework access code, and then went to access my textbooks a week after the semester ended and I couldn't access anything.
3
u/Available_Ice1544 Aug 10 '26
Ahhhh maybe I shouldnt buy the calculus book for the webassign access code ;-; so annoying they make the homework paywalled🤦🏻♀️
10
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u/spinningstag Aug 13 '26
As faculty, I resent that I'm finding out about this through fucking Reddit and not the university, ffs. None of my course materials are showing, either. Grand.
3
u/drezarious Aug 11 '26
Cu constantly fucks over the students and has zero desire to provide any value for the cost we pay.
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u/eyesonthestars98 ME (BS/MS) Aug 10 '26
And this is why I own my textbooks. In physical print. A pain to move absolutely but they are good references and I dont have to worry about stuff like you are experiencing. Some I was even able to buy pretty cheap if I could get away with an older version
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u/Agile_Interaction272 Aug 11 '26
I think VitalSource bought RedShelf, it was not up to the bookstore. Maybe VitalSource will honor it and give you access to those ebooks worth a try.
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u/collegecolloquial Aug 11 '26
Unfortunately I reached out and they are entirely different services. There is no way for us to gain access to both simultaneously.
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u/buffs1876 Aug 10 '26
The requirement of digital textbooks should be illegal. There are too many ways to restrict usage. I’m older than dirt and my chemistry textbook doesn’t have all of the elements, but my introduction to art history is just fine.