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Step 1
Before you head out, use the internet to see if you can locate what you're specifically looking for. There are a number of free media, books and software web sites on the web. A great place to start would be The Free Software Foundation at www.fsf.org. Established in 1985, their web site's stated mission is to promote use,study,copy, et. al., of computer programs. They have a large resource section, so if you can't find what you need there perhaps one of their links could lead you to a source of interest. Another internet option is Free Computer Books at www.freecomputerbooks.com. They offer free online computer books, tutorials and lecture notes in a simplified user-friendly format.
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Step 2
Amazon.com offers a bargain book section where prices have been reduced. They also offer used books through user postings at greatly discounted prices. Ebay.com is always an option for those really hard to find software books.
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Step 3
Other than the internet, bookstores generally have outstanding bargain bins where technical books seem to have a way of ending up. If you are aware of a particular business that used the particular software you are working with, trying contacting them to find out if they would like to part with their old books and manuals. It is worth contacting technical schools as well to find out if they have any books they are looking to get of to make space for newer materials.
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Step 4
The obvious answer to finding computer software books is to contact the manufacturer of the software. In many cases they may still have manuals available for download or user's manuals available for sale.
