UMBC Staff & Faculty Resources
To ensure sufficient time to process adoptions and secure used/rental books, use the following adoption deadlines for the specified semesters:
SUMMER/FALL - 3rd Friday of March. University policy dictates that summer and fall textbook adoptions should be submitted by April 24th to permit compliance with USM Board of Regents policy.
WINTER/SPRING - 3rd Friday of October. University policy dictates that winter and spring textbook adoptions should be submitted by November 24th to permit compliance with USM Board of Regents policy.
Email reminders (from [email protected]) will be sent to faculty about course material adoptions once the Bookstore is open for a semester’s adoption period. There is no log-in information necessary. Every reminder email will contain a unique link that will take faculty directly to their assigned sections to submit adoptions.
Verba Collect Training Videos for Instructors - Provided through VitalSource Success. Click each of the links below to view the instruction video.
1. Getting Started: Course & Section Select(0:44)
2. Previously Adopted Materials (1:16)
3. Add New Materials (1:04)
4. Review and Submit Adoptions (0:39)
By submitting your adoption online or by email you acknowledge the information required in the Maryland State Law 'College Textbook Competition and Affordability Act of 2009.
Please email [email protected] with any questions.
For information on the UMBC Course Material Initiative (CMI) , visit the CMI Website. Interest can be flagged when submitting adoptions.
If using materials available from the UMBC Library, this can be indicated by selecting "No Textbooks Required" for the section and adding a brief note. Check out the library's page on using the Course Reserves system.
Need an exam or desk copy? These are provided by the Publishers directly, the UMBC Bookstore is unable to provide them.
- VitalSource offers a Sampling Platform for educators to request digital exam or desk copies from one single source, instead of needing to contact multiple publishers. Find out more by clicking here.
- CMI provides complimentary access to the digital materials for instructors and TAs through Blackboard [hosted by VitalSource] for participating courses.
All instructional technologies must be evaluated by DoIT staff, Procurement, and the software review committee before they can be adopted. The UMBC software review process is a comprehensive assessment of software purchase and renewal requests for compliance with security, technical, procurement, and legal policies. This review is required regardless of the dollar value for the software and regardless of Blackboard integration, including software with no financial cost and software hosted online by a third-party. If a Blackboard integration is requested, then review and testing of the Blackboard integration will occur following the institutional review.
To begin the review process, please submit an RT request to Online Learning: https://umbc.edu/go/bbsupport
For a list of already available tools & support (including Blackboard tools, third-party tools, class tools, FAQs and MORE), visit the Third-Party Tools in Blackboard Wiki.
- Staff & Faculty Regalia: Visit our Graduation Information page.
- Book Signings: We will coordinate book signings and sales for your author events. Contact Erin McGonigle at [email protected].
- UPS Shipping and Drop Off Center.
- Postage stamps are sold by the book and available at the cash registers in the store.
- Notary public service: $5.00 a stamp.
- Greeting cards, balloons, wrapping paper, gift bags, UMBC Bookstore gift cards
- Executive gifts and professional wear products are of special interest to our staff and faculty.
- Faculty Authors: Let us know when you publish a book so that we may add it to our faculty author catalog.
- For inquiries related to course materials, contact [email protected]
- For other inquiries, contact [email protected]
- A full list of contact information can be found on the store directory page, linked here.
