Textbooks are on the verge of leaving the Bookstore with sales being potentially outsourced to Barnes & Noble as soon as fall 2025, faculty said.
Sales of textbooks not turning a profit for the Bookstore and several staff retirements are factors behind the change, Christopher Page, an English professor and an El Camino College Evolve coordinator, said.
ECC Evolve is the “change engine for the campus,” according to the college’s website.
“Textbooks will continue to be sold until summer for sure,” Page said. “The store itself will be open in the fall, but I’m not sure if any books will be there. That part we were not actually 100% sure about.”
The process for purchasing books would change to ordering online and having them either shipped to home addresses or designated for pick-up at a Barnes & Noble location or at the Student Store on campus.
Textbook stores across California face financial struggles and competition from online competitors.
Page said that as fewer textbooks are bought and used by students, more of the texts which the Bookstore buys do not sell.
The store is set to be renamed the Student Store and items including snacks, supplies, drinks and ECC clothing will continue to be sold.
Page and Crystle Martin, dean of Library and Learning Resources, presented the proposed changes at the Academic Senate meeting on Tuesday, April 1.
Textbooks could be completely gone from the Bookstore by the winter 2026 term if the proposed partnership receives approval from the College Council at its meeting Monday, May 19, and then final approval from ECC’s Board of Trustees.
Page said staff retirements in the Bookstore stem from an early retirement plan which, due to the college-wide budget deficit, gave ECC employees benefits for retiring early.
Three Bookstore administrators are retiring this spring semester, including Bookstore Director Julie Bourlier, administrative assistant Sonia Gallardo and buyer Patrick Papetti.
Bourlier said the number of student workers at the Bookstore will reduce with these changes.
“There will still be workers. It just won’t be as many as before,” Bourlier said. “The Bookstore has its own budget and the student workers are under federal work-study.”
The Union attempted to interview four student workers at the Bookstore and all four declined to be interviewed.
Student Development Office Director Ricky Gonzalez said the Associated Students Organization may plan to use the space currently occupied by textbook shelves in the Bookstore.
“If the space becomes available, ASO would like to make a student activities center for the needs of students,” Gonzalez said.
The previous Student Activities Center on campus provided areas for students to lounge, eat, socialize, do homework and play games including air hockey before it was closed for demolition in December 2019, according to an article from The Union.
Gonzalez said also that after the old Student Activities Center was demolished, student activities and the ASO office moved to the Communications Building’s basement.
ASO released a survey on the first two days of April polling students about their use of campus social spaces and if they would be interested in a new Student Commons area.
The survey was sent to students’ ECC email accounts and was conducted on campus at the Library Lawn. Students who participated on campus either got a free T-shirt or water bottle.
Welding major Jean Paul, 19, said the Bookstore shouldn’t change.
“It’s called the Bookstore for a reason. Students can just get their books on campus and it’s more convenient for us,” Paul said.
Editor’s note:
- This article was updated to clarify the headline on Monday, April 21.
