The De Anza College Bookstore in Cupertino, Calif., will transition from in-house ownership to the use of third-party services offered by Follett Higher Education. La Voz News reported that "long-standing access to critical opportunities such as student employment and affordable classroom resources will remain available in the new system, and the new company will be fully established when the physical store reopens for business."
De Anza bookstore coordinator Jayme Brown said she expects the transition to go smoothly, with most changes taking place behind the scenes: "It's a pretty straightforward website for ordering books. So I don't think it'll be too much of a learning curve."
She added that once the bookstore physically reopens, it will still hire student employees, including international students. Because the physical bookstore will remain on-site, regulations regarding international student employment will still allow them to work there.
Mark Healy, chair of psychology at De Anza and the faculty Open Educational Resources coordinator, said he is optimistic about the situation, though he has a few concerns regarding how the bookstore will perform once the physical location reopens.
"College bookstores aren't a growth industry," he said. "How well the management and marketing adapts to the school's needs will really determine how well they do.... Everything comes down to management. Good management will make this a great success."