To All Clark Students:
Beginning with the May 2016 summer sessions, Clark will be transitioning textbook sales to a new “virtual bookstore” model in which students go to an online site to make their textbook purchases. The decision to move in this direction was made in response to the increasing costs of textbooks, the continuing decline in textbook sales at the current bookstore on Main St., and the growing trend of students to purchase their books from online booksellers. The goal of the virtual store is to provide more affordable textbook options for Clark students.
Over the past six months, a committee chaired by Business Manager Paul Wykes has been working to evaluate virtual bookstore vendors and to develop plans for the new “Campus Store” that will be housed in the new Alumni & Student Engagement Center. Committee members include Matt Malsky (Dean of the College), Luis Smith (Chemistry), Stephen Levin (English), Kathy Cannon (Controller), Rebecca Hunter (Registrar), Amy Whitney (Innovation & Entrepreneurship), Becky Frieden (ITS), Joe Brady (Athletics), Keith Carville (Marketing), Lea Ann O’Neil (Physical Plant), and a student representative. The committee recommended that we partner with Akademos, a leader in the virtual bookstore industry. Akademos will provide a virtual bookstore that will allow you to quickly and easily purchase textbooks at a cheaper cost than our current physical bookstore and cheaper than many other online options. The new site will allow you to purchase new, used, and digital versions of books, as well as provide rental options. You will also be given options to buy books from third-party marketplace merchants. When visiting the new site, you will be able to quickly and easily see the courses you have registered for and the books that have been assigned to your courses. You may choose to purchase your books from another vendor if you wish and the site will provide you with the book’s ISBN number for that purpose.
The virtual bookstore will also provide a web portal for Clark faculty. Using this portal, faculty will view the courses they will be teaching, research possible textbooks options and see what costs would be for students, and then assign their chosen textbooks to their courses.
The anticipated go-live date for the virtual bookstore is May 1st, 2016, in time for textbook purchases for the summer session. Additional information and instructions for using the site will be provided to students prior to the launch of the new site.
In the meantime, the committee continues to work on plans for the new Campus Store, which will sell clothing, supplies, Clark logo items, and other non-textbook items. The plan is for Clark to operate the store, rather than Barnes and Noble. This will provide Clark more control over the store’s merchandise and image.
Please feel free to contact Business Manager Paul Wykes with any questions you may have regarding this transition.