The semester is in full swing, but your schoolbooks may still be the missing link to your back-to-school game plan.

What do you do if the books you need are not available at the bookstore?

Off Campus Books and other bookstores of its kind have shut down over the summer, making the option of finding your textbooks outside the Hornet Bookstore even less convenient.

But what if there were an easier way? Behold, the online alternative.

Buying your textbooks online is the guaranteed approach to avoid waiting in long check-out lines, not to mention a means of cutting down on the frustrations of coming to a bookshelf with your required English text nowhere to be found.

Some students such as Ali Gibson, a design major at Sacramento State, are unaware of the online option and have become accustomed to waiting in long lines at the Hornet Bookstore each semester.

“I just always wait in line; I don?t care,” Gibson said. “It?s not like you are standing alone in there.”

Donald Perez, a psychology major, says that his books are usually available at the Hornet Bookstore, but when they aren?t, finding them is a “total hassle.”

“Most of the books I need are usually here at the bookstore, but last semester there were two books that were not available anywhere,” Perez said. After finding unstocked shelves at Off Campus Books, he ordered online with Barnes and Noble. The experience, he said, was “inexpensive and easy.”

“Online ordering is a good source if all the other options don?t work,” Perez said.

The Hornet Bookstore?s online version also helps in limiting time spent looking for books, even if you eventually buy them somewhere else.

If you click on the “buy textbooks” option, you can find the books required for your classes by entering the class and section number. Then, when you know which books you need, you can take that information and search competitors? sites.

Most sites that sell books on the web have a textbook section with the option of searching for books by keyword, title, author or ISBN. An ISBN (located on the back of the book cover, usually in the bottom-right corner) is the best way to search for a book on a Web site; however, the opportunity is not always featured on the less advanced sites or will come up without results.

There are some Web sites, such as Bigwords.com, that search others to find the cheapest price on a book. These sites will frequently compare and contrast themselves with their competitors to find the best one that suits your book shopping needs.

Ordering online may be easier, but it isn?t foolproof. It is important to keep in mind when searching that textbooks often update, so having the most current edition is a must. Also knowing whether or not the text is actually required, and not simply recommended by a professor, is an instant cash-saver.

While most online stores ship books within 24 hours, delivery can take from three to five working days. On an order of multiple textbooks, the lack of availability on one might put the entire order on hold until that book is available.

Anthony Brown, a business major, said that although buying books online is convenient, it is important to order early to avoid rush-ordering.

“The only problem with ordering online is that shipping and handling can cost a fortune,” Brown said. “This is especially true if the book isn?t available right away and you try to priority mail it. You will get charged for the rush, but you wont get the book for five days.”

Priority mailing can cost up to three times more than standard shipping and still not get there any faster. It is also helpful to find one site that carries all the books you need to avoid paying more than one shipping and handling fee.

The Hornet Bookstore?s prices are often within a few dollars of its online competitors, which when taken into account with its location is enough for some students to continue standing in line. But where the Hornet Bookstore loses many customers is in its often low-return buy-back policy.

Jana Tucker, a psychology major, has gone to the Hornet Bookstore or Off Campus Books for convenience, but now turns to online, especially when it?s time to sell.

“I like to order my books off of Amazon.com because they buy my books back. They usually have the particular book I need in stock, and can offer it in new and used versions.”

The online alternatives to the Hornet Bookstore have their advantages. Students, however, have to decide if they are enough to keep them clicking.