The University Bookstore is planning to offer a new service to students. Starting this fall, students will be able to view the ISBN for each of their textbooks along with the author, title, edition, and selling price for new and used copies of the book through a new web portal. This information will be available to students approximately two weeks before the start of each new semester, allowing students to search for their books at online retailers and comparison shop.

This is a service that students have requested many times. Jay Pujara, Business Affairs Chair of Student Senate, stated that students have mentioned the issue to the Senate several times. Jim Kownacki, Textbook Buyer and Assistant Manager for the bookstore, further stated that the question of why this information is not currently available has been the most common question he has received in his years at the store. He also mentioned that he and his coworkers are flooded with calls requesting ISBNs around the start of each semester, and that this new service will ease their burden significantly.

According to Kownacki, the obstacle preventing the numbers from being displayed before was not, as many students assume, a desire to prevent competition from online retailers.

“We’re here for the students, and we try to help them out,” he emphasized.

The problem, he added, was a deficiency in the software package that the bookstore uses to keep track of the approximately 1,450 different titles needed each semester. The software uses its own unique numbering system rather than ISBNs. As a result, they did not have the capability to automatically display the ISBN. Manually posting 1,450 ten-digit numbers each semester would not be feasible. A software upgrade done in the spring of 2003 added capabilities that made this new service possible.

Both Kownacki and Pujara acknowledged that this change will make online textbook shopping a more feasible option for students but did not think that the bookstore’s business would suffer drastically. Pujara referenced a study performed by Student Senate last summer that found little difference between the prices offered by major online retailers and those of the bookstore on new textbooks. Used textbooks can vary far more in price, but Kownacki noted that the bookstore offered twice as many used books this spring as the previous one. However, he does believe that students are entitled to comparison shop, and that they should take advantage of the increased opportunity to do so.

“It’s everyone’s right to shop around. I shop around,” Kownacki said. “If students didn’t, I think they’re pretty stupid to think that we’re the only source for their needs, and we’d be pretty naïve to think we are the only source for students’ needs.”

But he went on to say, “We do try to be competitive in our pricing. We try to get as many used books as we can.”

Pujara added, “Hopefully the ability to competitively shop for textbooks will help students appreciate the bookstore more.”