Why do I need to log into the system?
Because Faculty Center contains information about review copies, teaching aids, and other tools for faculty, access is limited to faculty. By logging into the system, we know you are authorized to view the data.

What if I forgot my user name and password?
If you forgot the user name and password given to you by the bookstore, you can contact your campus bookstore manager and they can provide you with the correct access information. If you forgot the user name and password you created in FCNotebook, please click here.

Data
How many textbooks are represented in this database?
As of 2004, approximately 300,000 different textbook titles from more than 5,000 publishers are represented in our database, and the number is growing every day.

How often is the database revised?
The Faculty Center Network database is revised and refreshed on a daily basis. We add titles and the title's core data -- cover image, summary/table of contents/preface, etc. -- as soon as we receive the information. However, the book ranking and adoption information is updated twice a year, in April and November (see below), or more often if circumstances merit.

What is the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching?
The Carnegie Foundation is a non-profit organization, and is separate from any university or other non-profit entity. We use their classification system (see below) as a framework for presenting our adoption information. For more information on the Foundation, please visit their Web site at www.carnegiefoundation.org

What is the Classification System?
The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education is the leading typology of American colleges and universities (from Carnegie Foundation). For more information on the classification system, please visit their Web site at www.carnegiefoundation.org. MBS uses the classification system as a framework to present, in an organized, objective manner, how often and where a specific textbook is used. For more information, please see our methodology.

How do I use the subject ranking data?
A title's subject ranking indicates the level of demand for that textbook within a specific subject area, according to MBS Textbook Exchange, Inc., order history. In short, the subject ranking indicates how popular a specific textbook is within the title's assigned subject area.

(This online database has a unique subject taxonomy, which is based on the curricular structure of colleges chosen to represent a wide variety of sizes and focuses. The textbooks within this database are assigned to that taxonomy structure. The textbook's demand is based on national industry order history. Twice a year the data is recalculated. Please read our explanation of methodology for more details.)

How do I use the adoption data?
The adoption data indicates where and how often the textbook is used in the United States. To interpret the data compare the percentages to one another - NOT the categories. For example, in the display below you can see that 33 percent of Doctoral/Research Universities - Intensive use this particular book, but only 10 percent of Associate of Arts Colleges use this book. That information can be useful in determining if a particular textbook is appropriate for your class.

This book has been adopted by:
18% of Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive
33% of Doctoral/Research Universities - Intensive
32% of Master's Colleges and Universities I
19% of Master's Colleges and Universities II
22% of Baccalaureate Colleges - Liberal Arts
16% of Baccalaureate Colleges - General
12% of Baccalaureate/Associate's Colleges
10% of Associate's Colleges

For each title, the data will be different. A definition of each category, and the schools that make up each category, are available in our methodology.

Why isn't there subject ranking and adoption data for the newest edition of a textbook?
The subject ranking and adoption data is updated twice a year. When the newest edition of a textbook is added to the database, we do not carry subject ranking and adoption data over from the older title.

Why do you have a subject ranking for a title, but no adoption data?
If the demand of a textbook is not attributed to a school identified and associated with a Carnegie Classification category but does have a subject code, then the book will have a subject ranking but is not represented in the usage data.

Why do you have adoption data for a title, but no subject ranking?
If the demand of a textbook is attributed to a school identified and associated with a Carnegie Classification category but does not have a subject code, then the book is represented in the usage data but does not have a subject ranking.

How often is the subject ranking and adoption data revised?
The data used to calculate the subject ranking and frequency of adoptions is revised twice a year in April and November.

Tools
What are the differences between Advanced Search, Browse, and the Quick Search box?
Advanced Search gives you the ability to search by any combination of criteria at once, while Browse allows you to drill down through our subjects tree and view all the books within a given subject. The Quick Search box appears on every page and searches the author, title, ISBN and keyword fields by your criteria.

How do I search for a book if I know more than one author's name?
To search for a book by multiple authors, simply enter each authors' last name in the Author Last Name field, leaving a space between each author's name. For example, to search for a book that has authors Smith and Jones, simply enter "smith jones" into the search field.

Search Tips
When searching for textbooks, please enter only the information you know is correct, then work from there. The most accurate way to find a textbook is to enter the ISBN. If you enter a valid ISBN, you will go directly to that title's page. If you know the Author's last name, enter it. If you know more than one author, enter each last name followed by a space. The order they are entered does not matter. If you know a Title Keyword, enter it. If there's more than one Title Keyword, enter both. Just remember that if you put in an incorrect keyword, you could exclude books from the search. General keywords are most useful when browsing for a particular subject. Once you enter a keyword, every book associated with that keyword will be listed.

How is the browse constructed?
MBS created a unique taxonomy for its online database. The structure of the subjects tree is based on a generalized college curriculum built to represent a wide variety of sizes and focuses. Because the higher education world is constantly changing, MBS revises the subjects tree at least once a year.

There are 15 main subject areas and nearly 2,400 unique subjects spread across more than 5,000 nodes. Because schools divide up disciplines in so many different ways, a given subject can appear in more than one place in the taxonomy. Further, a textbook may be assigned to more than one subject if its subject matter is sufficiently broad.

For example, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (ISBN 0140440399) has a primary subject area of Greek Literature, a secondary subject area of Ancient History, and an alternate subject area of Military History. You could locate this book in any of the three subject areas.

What are the requirements for obtaining a professional review copy?
If you would like to request a professional review copy of a textbook, you must contact the publisher. For each textbook, we have provided the necessary contact information. Please be aware that different publishers require different information to verify the identity of the faculty member requesting a professional review copy. Be prepared to provide that information when you contact the publisher.

What is the FC Notebook?
The FC Notebook is similar to the "Wish List" feature you find at other Web sites. It is a tool to help you keep an eye on titles of interest to you, whether as adoptions, potential adoptions, or just because. In the new version of Faculty Center, you now have the ability to keep more than one notebook, so you can keep your adoptions for different terms separate from one another.

How do I add titles to the FC Notebook?
If you're using the username and password provided by your store, you'll need to create a personal username before you can fully use the Notebook (We keep all information entered during the registration process confidential. Please see our privacy policy for more information.). If you already have your own username, however, you can add any title to your notebook from the book page by clicking on "Add This Title to My Notebook". You'll be prompted to choose from the notebooks you already have or create a new one, and the title you've selected will be added to the notebook you select (or create).

How do I create an adoption list with the FC Notebook?
Choose the notebook you want to create an adoption list from. Once in that notebook, for each title you plan to adopt, select "Adoption" from the options below the Notes box. Add any notes you wish the store to see, then click "Build Adoption List". Since the new Faculty Center remembers your courses from term to term, if you have no courses in the system, you will be prompted to create some.

Once you've done this, each book will appear with a drop-down menu containing your courses. Select a course for each book, then give the section and enrollment for each. If you wish to use a book in more than one course, click that text and then indicate course, section and enrollment for the second instance of the book. Add any desired notes, then save your changes.

Now you'll see your adoption list in final form for your approval. If you need to make any changes, select "Edit", otherwise you can either create a printable copy of your adoptions to send to the bookstore or send them electronically. (If "Send Adoptions Electronically" does not appear on this page, your bookstore has not specified an email address for receiving adoptions.)

How do I create a Review Copy List?
For each book you want to appear on your Review Copy List, click the "Request Review Copy" radio button beneath the Notes box, then click "Build Review Copy Request List" at the base of the page. You will be given the opportunity to add notes to each title before clicking "Build Review Copy Request List" to create a printable copy of your list which will include the publishers' contact information.

How do I move or delete titles in a Notebook?
To delete a title, select "Delete" from the options at the top left of the listing, just above the cover photo of the book you wish to delete, then click "Delete Selected Titles" at the base of the page. To move a title or titles, select "Move", then click "Move Selected Titles". The next page will give you the option of moving or copying the selected titles, along with a drop-down menu of target notebooks. Selecting "Move" will take the selected book out of its current notebook and place it in the new one, while "Copy" will place a copy of the book in each notebook.

What is "Publisher Contact"?
With "Publisher Contact" you can search or browse through our publisher database to obtain general contact information. You can also connect to a publisher's Web site (if they have one) from our site. Every publisher represented in the Faculty Center Network is in this database.

How do you know what titles are coming out?
We receive upcoming title information from Pubnet and the publishers themselves. The list of titles in this area are refreshed weekly, and only those titles with an estimated publication date of up to six months from the time the database is posted are displayed.

How can I search for an upcoming title in the "What's New in Textbooks" area?
You can search the list of upcoming textbooks by the Title field. We suggest that you enter the general subject area of the text you are looking for.