A course reader is a custom book made for one class: the articles, book chapters, and other readings a professor assigns, collected in one volume with the copyright permissions cleared. This page explains what goes into a reader, how it compares with a textbook, what it costs, how UCLA students get theirs, and how professors have one made.
What is a course reader?
Professors rarely teach from a single book. A history seminar might use two chapters from one book, four journal articles, a government report and the professor’s own notes. A course reader (also called a course packet, coursepack or reader) gathers exactly those pieces, in the order the class reads them, into one bound book or one online edition. Each selection is reproduced with permission from its publisher, so students get a legal copy and authors are paid for their work.
A typical reader contains the syllabus, the assigned articles and chapters, and sometimes lecture notes, problem sets, maps or images. Readers are made for a specific course, professor and term, which is why they are listed that way on our shop page: “History 1A – Fall 2026 – Prof. Phillips” is a different book from the same course taught by someone else, or by the same professor a year later.
Course reader vs. textbook
A textbook is a general book written for many courses at many schools; a course reader is built for one class. That difference shows up in three ways.
- Content. A textbook covers a whole subject and a class usually reads part of it. A reader contains only what the professor assigns, so nothing you pay for goes unread.
- Cost. Buying five books to read one chapter from each is expensive. A reader reproduces those chapters with permission, so the price reflects the pages you actually use plus the permission fees publishers charge. On this site, this term’s readers are priced from about $25 to about $90 depending on length and permissions.
- Availability. A reader exists only once the professor has chosen the readings, so it appears at the start of the term. We prepare most readers within minutes of receiving the materials, and late syllabus changes are not a problem.
Printed book or eBook
Every reader on this site is offered as a printed book, as an eBook, or both. They are separate products, so check the format before you buy.
- Printed readers are bound softcover books. They ship by USPS with tracking within 1 to 3 business days; shipping is $8 per book within the United States and $20 per book internationally. Delivery is typically 3 to 7 business days in the US.
- eBooks open in our online reader a few minutes after checkout, on any laptop, tablet or phone, with search, highlights and notes. Access lasts through the end of the term shown on the product page. eBooks cannot be downloaded as a file, printed in full, or transferred to another person. Step by step: how to read your eBook.
How much does a course reader cost?
The price depends on two things: the number of pages and the permission fees for the copyrighted material inside. A reader made mostly of a professor’s own notes costs less than one built from recent journal articles and book chapters, because publishers charge per page for those. Prices are shown before sales tax; tax and, for printed books, shipping are added at checkout. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover credit and debit cards. All sales are final because each reader is prepared for a specific course and term and eBooks are delivered immediately; the details are in our Refund and Returns Policy.
How UCLA students get their course reader
- Create a free account. The catalog is shown to registered students only. Sign-up takes about 30 seconds, and your account is also where your eBooks live (My Account > My Library). Create an account or log in.
- Find your class. Open Shop and search by course number or professor. Every reader is listed by course, professor and term.
- Choose the format and check out. Pick the printed book or the eBook and pay with a card. Printed books ship with a tracking number; eBooks are in My Library within minutes.
Not sure whether your class uses a reader? Your professor’s syllabus or first lecture will say, and if a reader has been made for the class it is listed under the course and professor’s name. If you cannot find it, call or text us at +1 (310) 443-3303; we know which readers exist for the term.
For professors: how a course reader is made
Send us your reading list, PDFs or syllabus with the course, term and expected enrollment. We clear the copyright permissions, lay out the book, print the softcover edition and publish the online edition, usually the same day. The reader is then listed on this site under your course and name; students buy it directly, and you and your TAs receive free desk copies. There is nothing for your department to order or stock. Read more on the page for professors or request a course reader now.
Copyright and permissions
Copying articles or chapters for a class without permission violates the rights of the author and publisher, and universities require that course readers be produced lawfully. We handle this for every reader: we identify the rights holder for each selection, request permission, pay the fees, and keep the paperwork. A complete bibliography for each reading (title, author, source, publisher, pages, ISBN) is the one thing we need from a professor to make the process fast.
Common questions
Is a course reader the same as a course packet or coursepack?
Yes. Different schools use different names for the same thing: a custom collection of assigned readings, reproduced with permission, sold to the students in one class.
Do I have to buy the course reader?
Only if your professor assigns it. Readers are made at a professor’s request for a specific class, so if one exists for your course it is because the readings in it are part of the syllabus.
Can I share a reader or an eBook with a classmate?
No. Each account and each eBook is for one student; accounts can be signed in on one device at a time, and an account used on several devices is locked. Every student needs their own copy.
Where is Course Reader Material?
1080 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024, in Westwood Village, a short walk from the UCLA campus. We have produced course readers for UCLA professors since 1990 and work with professors anywhere in the United States.
How fast is a reader ready?
Most readers are ready within minutes of receiving the professor’s files, and printed copies ship within 1 to 3 business days of an order.