The identity of the new management firm for the Bakersfield College bookstore has been released. The Barnes & Noble College Bookstore Division will soon begin managing the daily operations at all three of BC’s campuses, according to a statement made by LaMont Schiers, director of administrative services at BC.
Both organizations will be going through a transitioning period within the next several weeks as they prepare to set up the bookstore’s operating changes.
“[Barnes & Noble] is planning on making modest changes to start. But later this year, after the fall semester is well under way, they have plans to remodel the interior of the bookstore in preparation for a grand opening,” Schiers said.
Some of the changes set to occur in the new store will include a used book/rental program for books in general classes most filled by students. Another new element will be the addition of a more sophisticated online and electronic tracking presence that is propesed to help students and faculty receive better service.
These features will offer students the option to order their books via the Web, as well as offering some books as eBooks. Schiers also said that checking out during peak times will be a lot faster, too.
“We are excited for the new and improved services we will be able to provide our students, which will ultimately enhance their experience here at Bakersfield College,” Schiers said.
One distinction stressed about the new changes, according to Schiers, is that the new bookstore will not be a Barnes & Noble similar to the public retail stores. The firm is a subsidiary organization of Barnes & Noble that operates with a more specific purpose.
“They are different because they specialize in higher educational needs, verses a general public marketing operation,” said Schiers, who assures that the new bookstore will only change management and that “it will continue to be the Bakersfield College Bookstore and not a Barnes & Noble store.”
The new bookstore is scheduled to be fully operational by the start of the fall semester.