AV College in talks for bookstore management
LANCASTER — Antelope Valley Community College District’s Board of Trustees unanimously agreed at its May 10 meeting to allow the District to begin negotiations with Barnes and Noble College to take over management of the Marauder Bookstore.
AV College sought proposals on behalf of Antelope Valley College Auxiliary Services via an advertised competitive bid from qualified firms to provide Bookstore Operation Services.
The college is looking to move management of the bookstore due to it losing money and requiring subsidies each year. There is a decline in college bookstore sales across the country for myriad reasons,
a spokesperson said.
The bookstore revenue for fiscal 2019-20 was about $1.780 million, down from the 2018-19 fiscal year when it was about $1.785 million.
Barnes and Noble College was the recommended choice from six bids received. The proposal is
for online textbook services operations; full store/hybrid bookstore operations; or both. Barnes and Noble College manages 1,451 physical and digital bookstores for higher education and kindergarten through 12th grade nationwide, including 118 schools in California.
The Marauder Bookstore is in the Student Center building on the Lancaster campus with an additional store at the Palmdale campus. AV College is in the process of building a new facility on the Lancaster campus, The Commons,
which will include space for a new store that has an anticipated opening in 2024.
Trustee Michael Rives spoke highly of Barnes and Noble, recalling his time as an online master’s student from Boston University when he ordered his books through the service. He also praised the bookseller’s retail site in Palmdale.
“I think they are, in my opinion, the best fit for us,” Rives said. “I hope that we can hire them and we have a long future with Barnes and Noble.”