In a continuing effort to make college more affordable for students, the Clark State Community College bookstore will convert to online format and offer textbooks via eCampus beginning with 2017 summer semester classes.
Clark State currently houses bookstore locations at the Greene Center in Beavercreek and the Leffel Lane campus in Springfield. Neither location will close, nor will any jobs be eliminated. The bookstores will continue to serve students by offering supplies, spirit wear, Clark State branded items and provide a ship-to and pick-up location for textbooks if desired. Book buy backs will continue to be held on campus at the end of each term.
The Clark State administration was looking for a way to reduce the student cost and provide enhanced service. “Each semester the bookstore had an incredible volume of students waiting in line to choose their textbooks,” said Larry Wakefield, interim vice president of business affairs for Clark State. “Students also expressed frustration at accidentally buying the wrong textbook. With eCampus, student enrollment information will be passed to the virtual bookstore so when a student logs in, the system will know which classes they are registered for and pre-populate their cart with the required textbooks automatically making the textbooks buying experience extremely customer friendly and efficient.”
Wakefield said schools with similar configurations to Clark State have indicated that students spend just 3 to 5 minutes purchasing textbooks now instead of waiting in lines to pick out their books.
Clark State expects student savings will increase. “Our intent was to pass all savings on to our students,” said Wakefield. “We are focusing on making textbooks more affordable and lowering the overall cost of attending college. Clark State is already a leader in low-cost, high-quality education. It was a natural transition to both increase the service to our students while decreasing their frustration and expenses purchasing books and supplies.”
Wakefield said students will have the option, for most books, to purchase new or used textbooks, electronic versions, rentals or purchase directly from other students. He said this will allow students to choose the best option for them and their budget.
“We are encouraging the use of e-books,” said Wakefield. “One of the benefits of eCampus is the vast array of options for many of the textbooks required for classes at Clark State.”
Wakefield said most books will cost less due to the volume purchasing power of eCampus and their large inventory of used books. “New texts with prices set by the publisher may be similar to now at first,” he said. “eCampus has been in the business of providing low cost textbooks to students since 1998. Their relationships with vendors, advanced warehouse logistics and vast purchasing power will result in savings to students by both lowering costs on textbooks and giving students more options when purchasing.”
Once eCampus is fully implemented, Clark State students will be able to ship books to their home or to the Clark State Greene Center, Leffel Lane or Ohio Hi-Point (Bellefontaine) locations. A link to the online bookstore will be available on the Clark State website March 20.
Textbooks ordered through eCampus will be delivered via UPS within 24 to 48 hours. Most in-stock books ordered by 4 p.m. will arrive on the next business day. Books will be shipped for a fixed cost of $5 regardless of the number of books ordered.