The Bookstore strives to be the primary and comprehensive source of educational materials for the college's students. It is self-sufficient in its annual budget and generates enough income to fund its long term needs. In recent years, many external forces have affected the operations of the Bookstore. These include:

1. competition from Internet vendors and from local vendors that specialize in serving industries such as fashion, culinary arts, and electronics,
2. the fact that textbook prices have escalated so much that sometimes it is less expensive to copy pages from a textbook than to buy the textbook,
3. the inability of the Bookstore to keep up with technology changes such as the computerization of cash register procedures and Internet marketing, and
4. the increase in digital delivery of information, which could potentially allow students to bypass the Bookstore altogether unless the Bookstore becomes involved in the process.

The college has not reinvested Bookstore profits back into the operation, and so equipment and procedures are not state-of-the-art. The compressed calendar has put stress on current staffing levels, and a staff reorganization is needed to more efficiently and effectively deal with internal and external factors.

Personnel - Currently the Bookstore is staffed with a manager, seven full-time classified staff members, ten short-term (seasonal) employees and from four to 20 student workers depending on the time of year.

Enrollment increases will mean more temporary help is needed during semester openings, just as Winter Session and extra Summer Sessions already increase the quantity and frequency of hiring intermittent employees.

Equipment - The ten-year-old cash registers (which have been obsolete since 1997) and equally outdated copy machines need to be replaced. The Bookstore's 3M whisper tape detector is obsolete, no longer works correctly, and is no longer serviced by 3M.

Facilities - The Bookstore is located centrally enough to accommodate significant convenience/impulse traffic. With the streamlining of its operations, its current size remains workable. The K building freight elevator needs repair or replacement. The basement storage creates special labor needs and the sales floor, offices and stock areas could all be better utilized.

Future Program

Competition from Internet vendors and local retailers require that the Bookstore update its current business practices to include state-of-the-art technology and services. A review of Bookstore finance mechanisms, including reinvesting profits into the store, is in order as well. Because the college has gone to year-round operations, the Bookstore requires additional staffing. As the college enrollment increases, staffing needs will escalate as well.
Bookstore personnel must also become more knowledgeable about selling non-book merchandise to remain viable, especially digitized instructional materials. In the mid term (five years) the size of the department will increase at a faster rate than the college's overall enrollment due to low levels of staffing in past years. In the long term (ten years) the size of the department should increase at the same rate as the overall college enrollment, as inadequate receiving facilities dictate that the Bookstore will remain a labor-intensive operation.

Personnel - See Projected Faculty and Staff Needs.

Equipment - Security cameras, a point-of-sale system with eight cash registers, and shelving are needed. Two new coin-operated copiers plus one for Bookstore office use are needed to generate revenue and aid staff efficiency. A forklift that fits into the freight elevator and can carry a pallet across campus is needed, along with containers to transport materials across campus. Long receiving tables also are needed to process large incoming orders more quickly and efficiently.

Facilities - The college is in need of adequate receiving and storage facilities. A sink with hot and cold running water is needed. The Bookstore needs to be remodeled to benefit from improved display and storage areas. To accommodate 20,000 students, the Bookstore would need to improve the speed of its registers, better utilize space and provide more efficient checkout areas, but the size of the existing floor space would be adequate. The Bookstore is scheduled for partial relocation and major renovation with Proposition A funds.
Staff Development - The Bookstore staff would benefit from an annual retreat away from the store to address long term planning. Staff members also would benefit from training on POS and Text systems, preferably at another bookstore where the systems are used effectively.