DeKALB — In a partnership with NIU, the Follett company has taken over campus bookstore operations and will bring students increased options in textbook affordability.

Follett is involved on college campuses and K-12 schools nationwide. The company is focused on empowering learning by providing educational content, technology and products, according to its website.

Follet has been operating Huskie Books and Gear, the official university bookstore, since June 4., the official university bookstore, since June 4. The bookstore is being redesigned as part of Holmes Student Center renovations, which the partnership aligned with.

“Follett has 12,000 university bookstores that  they’re managing, plus about 18,000 online stores throughout North America and Canada so we’re like the largest book retailer,” Follett Store Manager Nathan Wunsh said.

Wunsh said Follett is customer-focused and with a face on campus, they are a one-stop shop, offering practically any product students need.

“Follett is an established leader in the college textbook industry and we are confident  they will offer our students and  faculty greater selection, lower prices, better access to materials and a host of other benefits,” said NIU Acting President Lisa Freeman, according to her official statement to the press.

Wunsh said through Follett’s partnerships with publishers, the company is able to reduce costs of materials because they will sell 100 percent of those products. He said because Follett is partnered with an extensive number of universities, their rental library is also extensive and other locations can provide lacking materials.

“If we don’t have it in stock for instance they could have it at [College of DuPage] and they would ship it here, or it could be in New York and they could ship it here or it could be in our Aurora distribution center,” Wunsh said.

Holmes Student Center Director Ian Crone said Follett will be operating throughout the renovation period with the bookstore relocated in the gallery, online commerce and a clerk service.

The partnership with Follett will save the university approximately $3.6 million per year.

“I think a lot of it has to do with the difference in the relationship, whereas previously the university had managed the bookstore,” Crone said. “Now we’re partnered with experts from the industry who are managing it on our behalf.”

Crone said the expenses of running the bookstore will no longer be on the university’s budget and because Follett has administrative personnel, all of those costs are internal. He also said the university will still receive commission on bookstore revenue.

“There’s a production in staff, basically we’ve got a person that can do it for 12,000 stores versus a person that does it for one school so we’ve got that central management that can administer this stuff and seperate those costs out,” Wunsh said.

As for students employed at the campus bookstore, Crone said temporary employees have been previous Huskie Books and Gear employees.

Northern Star Staff

“My staff would all be Follett employees, but we definitely hire students. We welcome them; they’re the best employees,” Wunsh said.

What Follett brings to the table

 The process of finding a partner to take over the university bookstore has been part of the conversation revolving around the Holmes Student Center renovations.

“We’re kind of like tenants, we pay rent based on sales so the more you patronize us the more you support the school, it’s an important relationship.”

Crone and Belinda Roller, Division of Administration and Finance architect, discussed a new partner in April, but nothing had been made official

Crone said the university had a committee of campus-wide constituents work with Procurement Services and Contract Management on an IFP process, or an invitation of proposals.“Through that objective review process, the university identified Follett as being a candidate who it felt confident could help the university to enhance our ability to serve students, faculty and the public,” Crone said.

Crone said Follet’s investment in technology was a draw for officials.. He said because the textbook environment is constantly changing, Follett will be able to successfully navigate those changes by providing access to cutting-edge resources.

“Follett is better equipped to respond to the many, developing challenges in that fast-changing sector,”Freeman said. “By leaving the management of the bookstore to experts, we can devote more of our time and resources to our core mission and focus our attention on preparing students for success in their lives and careers.”

There are several programs Follett will be introducing to campus through their partnership with NIU.

Wunsh said the program included is inclusive with the goal of providing access to course materials from day one.

“Because we work with our publisher partners we can actually lower the cost of it so its tuition-based fees but as soon as you enroll in that class you have access to the required materials,” Wunsh said.

Follett’s includED is an initiative working towards providing required course materials as part of student’s tuition fees through a union with publishers, faculty, schools and Follett, according to its webpage.

Wunsh said Follett is working to integrate Follett Discover on campus which will allow students to shop by schedule as a user friendly, customized program.

“You put in your information, knowing your schedule it will pull up the books you need and only those books so there’s no more digging,” Wunsh said.

Wunsh said Follett is kind of like tenants to the university and pays rent based on sales, so the more students patronize Follett thee more they support NIU.

“I always tell students and others that by continuing to get their course materials through Huskie Books and Gear, the university bookstore here Follett, the bookstore in the HSC, they’re reinvesting in the university because a portion of the proceeds go back into the institution,” Crone said.