Here are some ways local college bookstores are trying to lessen the financial burden:

 · The University of Massachusetts Amherst Bookstore carries older editions with professors' approval, used books, rentals and eBooks.

 · The Odyssey Bookshop, for Mount Holyoke College, carries older editions with professors' approval. As an independent bookstore, it can get used books from a variety of sources and opt for the cheapest editions. This fall, for the first time, about 15 to 20 titles of expensive books will available to rent.

 · At the Smith College Bookstore, all textbooks can be rented. It carries used books and older editions with professors' approval.

- MARIEL NORRIS