Bookstore outsourcing decision to come in January

The much-hyped decision regarding whether or not the bookstore will be outsourced remains unknown as fall quarter comes to a close.

The university received the final comments from the outside bookstore consultant this week but has not yet released a statement to students.

The committee members—who are yet to see the comments—will meet again on Dec. 9 for another discussion before the university announces its decision.

In an advisory committee meeting at the end of November, bookstore manger Bob Spencer announced sales were down 15 percent for the month of October.

Spencer attributed the decrease in sales to a triple hit including legislative mandates, the recession and the growth of online e-books.

In May 2009, the Senate's Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee required colleges to release text book ISBN numbers at least four weeks before classes begin, which allows students more time to compare prices of books at different locations and shop for the texts they need online.

The bookstore saw a subsequent 46 percent decrease in new textbook sales for fall quarter. Spencer predicts over half of book sales this year will be in the used books department.

Textbooks currently make up 70 percent of the store's total sales.

Spencer also cited the economy as a contributing factor.

"Retail is just awful right now," Spencer said.

The "third hit" came from new electronic based textbook technologies.

The store recently implemented an e-books program allowing students to purchase downloadable copies of their textbooks at a lower price than a new hardcopy.

Spencer, however, described the program as "less than successful." Since September, the bookstore has sold a total of three e-Books.

Melody Kadlub-Barr, bookstore textbooks specialist cited this as a standard number of sales for universities implementing this new program.

Publishing companies have recently begun to offer texts printed on loose-leaf paper and hole-punched for three ring binders, which can be up to $100 cheaper than the hardbound alternatives.

Kadlub-Barr said offerings are currently limited and the companies that do offer these texts do not publicize it well.

Binder-ready textbooks can be sold back to the university bookstore while e-books cannot.
Spencer said the bookstore needs more space to display these new options. He does not anticipate seeing any bookstore expansions inside the University Services Building where the store has no loading dock, a limited entrance and no onsite storage.

The university owned lot on 12th and Cherry has been ruled out as a possible space because of the university's decision to build more campus-owned housing.

Spencer also suggested putting the new bookstore on the first floor of the 12th Avenue and Madison Street self-storage facility owned by the university.

But whether or not the bookstore moves to a new facility won't be decided until after the university reviews the consultant's comments and makes a decision on whether or not to outsource operations.

The bookstore consultant will be on campus Dec. 9 to meet with the board. The university plans to release a decision by the beginning of Winter Quarter.