Buying books is the worst part about college. Tuition sucks but you kind of knew it was going to happen. Housing and meal plan are expensive but you probably would like a roof over your head and some food in your stomach. But you don't even want books, and more often than not, you spend a fortune on them and then never even need them. Well, there is a way to get (most) of your college textbooks entirely free.

OhioLink is a website that is essentially a consortium of all university libraries in the state of Ohio. Most every book from most every university in Ohio is listed on the site. All you have to do is request the book from whatever library its home is, and it will be delivered to your library. Here's a walk through how to use the life and bank account saver that is OhioLink.

Step 1: Find the book that you need.

The first thing is, obviously, to find out what books you need. For this example, I will look at a book I need for next semester titled: "Statistics: the art and science of learning from data". (Sounds riveting, I know)

Step 2: Go to OhioLink

You will type in www.ohiolink.edu. Remember, .edu, not .com or .net. Then on the right side, you will click "OhioLink Library Catalog" under "Quick Links".

Step 3: Search

It will then take you to a page that looks like the photo above. You can search using a keyword, title, author, or any other options it gives you. Sometimes you have to try a few before you are able to find the book you are looking for. Type whatever you are going to search into the box.

Step 4: Comb through results

Sometimes when you have a vague title, you have to look through a lot of pages to find what you're looking for. With a longer title such as the one in the example, chances are it will either be the first one or not be there at all. Check the authors and the needed volume on your book list, and see if they match up.

Step 5: Select

Once you have found the book you are looking for, you will hit the little green button that says "request". It will tell you what library/libraries currently have the book.

Step 6: Select your school

From there, it will ask you to select what school it is being sent to. Then they will send it!

Step 7: Receiving your book

You should receive an email from your university library letting you know when the book is there. All you have to do is go pick it up at the front desk.

Step 8: Renewing your book

You do have to renew the book periodically throughout the semester. You should be emailed letting you know when it is getting close to the time for renewal. You can do it online, in person or over the phone!

Step 9: Returning your book

All you have to do to return your book is drop it off at your library when you are done. Unfortunately, because OhioLink runs on a request basis, sometimes you will need to return your book before you are done with it. If that happens, you are able to request it back! It does not happen often!

Step 10: An easier way

A new feature of my university website just came this year, and could be on yours, too. When looking at your book list, it may say "available at partner library". If that's the case, click on that and it will take you directly to OhioLink!

Step 11: Be happy that you saved some money

OhioLink is not perfect. From renewals to the small chance you have to send it back to the possibility of it not being there at all, it is not flawless. However, even getting 2-3 of your books for free is worth trying it out. In college, any amount of money you can save is a wonderful thing. Give OhioLink a try and save some cash!