CAMPUS BRIEFS: Thursday, January 16, 1997

Newsgroup lets studentsNewsgroup lets studentsbuy and sell books on line Last October, College and Wharton junior Brendan McGeever organized a University newsgroup for the purpose of exchanging used textbooks. Since then, approximately 500 people have taken advantage of the service, which can be found in upenn.forsale.textbooks. Currently, there are 400 posts on the newsgroup. The list remains up-to-date through a special feature which ensures that posts expire after two weeks. "People who use this service to sell and buy books are sure to earn and save a great deal of money that they wouldn't otherwise by selling to or buying from The Book Store or Campus Text," McGeever said. "If you sell it yourself, you aren't going to get ripped off." Students advertising on the newsgroups are asked to use the subject line of the post to specify the type of book for sale. And the post should include a means of contact and an approximate sell/buy price. McGeever said the group is ideal for students searching for texts for large courses -- especially psychology, history and Wharton classes. "Since this group began, I haven't bought a single text from a bookstore," McGeever said. "And so far I have saved at least $150." McGeever said the newsgroup has not experienced any problems since its implementation. -- Jaclyn LaPlaca