Barnes & Noble to Manage College Bookstore
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This week, Vice President for Business and Finance Alan Finn announced that Lewis & Clark will partner with Barnes & Noble, Inc. to manage the College’s bookstore.
“I gladly accepted the recommendation of the bookstore evaluation committee that we select Barnes & Noble as our new bookstore partner,” Finn said. “Barnes & Noble understands the needs of our students, faculty, and staff. They are really eager and looking forward to working with us in a new and different way. We are excited to have them join our community.”
Chaired by Dean of Students Anna Gonzalez, the bookstore evaluation committee reviewed three proposals from potential partners. Barnes & Noble set themselves apart with the following commitments:
- Unlimited quantity of textbook rentals on all adopted textbook titles.
- A price match program offering refunds to students in the first week of classes if they find a lower price on Amazon or at another vendor (not offered on peer-to-peer or marketplace purchases).
- A smartphone application that allows order tracking and full website shopping.
- A strong local presence with their regional manager located in Portland and additional partnerships at the University of Portland, Linfield College, and Pacific University, which will allow for a smooth transition and support moving forward.
- Shared values in their membership in the Fair Labor Association and commitment to only using vendors who certify to FLA Code of Conduct.
- Strong commitment to student engagement.
- A student management development program called Bestseller for student employees who are interested in a retail career.
Barnes & Noble will be on campus this Friday to hold transition meetings with staff members from various campus offices including Information Technology.
The following faculty, staff, and student representative constituted the bookstore review committee:
- Anna Gonzalez, Dean of Students
- Gena Perrine, Graduate School Director of Finance & Operations
- Jerry Harp, Assistant Professor of English
- Naiomi Cameron, CAS Associate Dean for Faculty Development
- Sifa Tonga, Grad Student
- Violet Betters, CAS Student
- Andrea Dooley, Associate Vice President for Finance / Controller
The search for a new bookstore partner began in August. See the timeline for the bookstore transition here.
