Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Bookstores Old and New
The Old Ivy campus newspaper announced today that big shifts are on the horizon so far as the area's local book retailers are concerned. Currently, there are two major bookstores on campus: the university co-op (Motto: If it's survived for a century, it can't be bad!) and the reasonably sized independent bookstore on the campus' main drag (Motto: Check out our whimsical Dickens window display!) Apparently however, the university's administration has deemed this setup to be less than optimal and, in their infinite and inscrutable wisdom took steps to remedy this situation.
To that end, the university co-op will no longer be selling books, focusing instead on university-themed memorabilia and bric-a-brac as well as a 24-hour convenience store. Meanwhile, the independent bookstore will have be closing up shop this March after 25 years, destined to be reborn as a chain bookstore with an academic focus. The university has also purchased the property rights of the shoe store and childrens' apparel stores next door, kicking them out to make room for the expanded bookstore and a satellite franchise on the main drag for the co-op.
The exact rationale for this decision remains nebulous, even to members of the faculty who are well-regarded experts in the history and economics of the academic bookstore. Administration officials claim the matter was overly sensitive be discussed with the university community due to employment concerns, etc., but that didn't stop the President from making the formal transition announcement today. Whether university presidents normally take it upon themselves to make announcements of this nature rather than delegating to a vice-president or dean in charge of university affairs, this blogger is uncertain.
What is certain that as a bibliophile, this is both disappointing and exciting. The disappointment is due to my love of well-stocked independent bookstores, especially those with used book selections. On the other hand, book store closing sales are a bibliophile's goldmine, where all sorts of items get sold at low, low prices. And who knows? Maybe there will be a grand opening sale for the new store once it opens? Either way, the possibility for cheap books is on the horizon.
I realize that this is an incredibly self-centered and cynical approach towards a news item that has the potential to be a rather deep and serious matter concerning the status of independent businesses in the face of corporate takeovers, not to mention the question of how involved universities should be in the economy of their surrounding environs. However, from the point of view of a graduate student with a limited budget and a nearly unlimited interest in books, this has the potential to work out very well regardless of how things are ultimately reorganized.
The Old Ivy campus newspaper announced today that big shifts are on the horizon so far as the area's local book retailers are concerned. Currently, there are two major bookstores on campus: the university co-op (Motto: If it's survived for a century, it can't be bad!) and the reasonably sized independent bookstore on the campus' main drag (Motto: Check out our whimsical Dickens window display!) Apparently however, the university's administration has deemed this setup to be less than optimal and, in their infinite and inscrutable wisdom took steps to remedy this situation.
To that end, the university co-op will no longer be selling books, focusing instead on university-themed memorabilia and bric-a-brac as well as a 24-hour convenience store. Meanwhile, the independent bookstore will have be closing up shop this March after 25 years, destined to be reborn as a chain bookstore with an academic focus. The university has also purchased the property rights of the shoe store and childrens' apparel stores next door, kicking them out to make room for the expanded bookstore and a satellite franchise on the main drag for the co-op.
The exact rationale for this decision remains nebulous, even to members of the faculty who are well-regarded experts in the history and economics of the academic bookstore. Administration officials claim the matter was overly sensitive be discussed with the university community due to employment concerns, etc., but that didn't stop the President from making the formal transition announcement today. Whether university presidents normally take it upon themselves to make announcements of this nature rather than delegating to a vice-president or dean in charge of university affairs, this blogger is uncertain.
What is certain that as a bibliophile, this is both disappointing and exciting. The disappointment is due to my love of well-stocked independent bookstores, especially those with used book selections. On the other hand, book store closing sales are a bibliophile's goldmine, where all sorts of items get sold at low, low prices. And who knows? Maybe there will be a grand opening sale for the new store once it opens? Either way, the possibility for cheap books is on the horizon.
I realize that this is an incredibly self-centered and cynical approach towards a news item that has the potential to be a rather deep and serious matter concerning the status of independent businesses in the face of corporate takeovers, not to mention the question of how involved universities should be in the economy of their surrounding environs. However, from the point of view of a graduate student with a limited budget and a nearly unlimited interest in books, this has the potential to work out very well regardless of how things are ultimately reorganized.
