NIU and DeKalb residents are in need of a local bookstore. After the closing of the local Barnes & Noble, DeKalb is left with no major bookstores that sell more than educational textbooks.

Before Barnes & Noble closed in December 2014, there was also a Borders bookstore and before both of these, a non-chain business called The Junction. Borders closed its doors in August 2011 while The Junction closed in February 2002.

“… This population base is not big enough to support two, much less three, big [bookstores],” said Don Rodrick, former manager of the Junction Bookstore, according to a Feb. 21, 2002, Northern Star article. As of right now, it seems that DeKalb is unable to support any bookstores at all.

But I do not think that is the case. None of the closings had to do with students not supporting the businesses. After the appearance of both large bookstore companies, The Junction could not keep up and went out of business; the reason for Barnes & Noble closing is not as clear. Through the entire process, students still had a bookstore to go to that did not sell mostly academic books like the University and VCB Bookstores do.

“If this is a university town there should be a lot of readers and there should be bookstores,” said Michael Day, first-year composition professor for the English Department.

When looking at the Founders Memorial Library, it appears that students have all the access to books they need to stay avid readers; our library alone carries a large array of titles and study materials. Unfortunately, I have only ever taken a book from the library when I purchased one for 50 cents.

Edith Craig, communication manager at the DeKalb Public Library, said “there are differences between a library and a bookstore, and a community needs both.”

For example, you cannot purchase most library books. A library is not fully capable of handling the flow of best sellers and new material in the same way that a bookstore can.

Sometimes, it is nice to own your favorite book that you can reread without having to track down again. I think this experience should not be considered just a luxury, but something college students should have. We read many books because we have to; why not promote reading for pleasure?

The nice thing about bookstores and libraries is that one can browse for titles if they have no clue what to read. This experience changes when e-books come into the picture. The only reason I think students will turn to e-books is because the places that sell books are disappearing, not because of the print books themselves being out of style.

Our community still recognizes the benefits of books. Even with the presence of used bookstores and libraries, a local bookstore is a vacancy that needs to be filled.