Jenna LendowskiHurriedly, Terisita Cruz, a sophomore pre-nursing major, walked into the bookstore in late January. She had a reading list as long as her arm and was just finishing up this semester’s purchase.
The last book on her list was “The Heath Anthology of American Literature,” the book she needed to do the assigned reading for her early American literature class.
It was out of stock.
“I was really mad because I expected the book to be there, and it wasn’t. I had to put off my work for a week and borrow the book from someone in my class,” Cruz said.
“It is important to note that estimating quantities on past and current enrollment figures is not always accurate,” the bookstore’s information packet, “Survival 101,” says.
Ordering books, according to a bookstore handout, is dependant on a number of criteria. Whether the book is recommended or required is the first, and according to bookstore manager Bridget Dougherty, most important. Other criteria included how long the title and/or edition has been used on campus, pre-registration numbers from the registrar, price and the history of the particular book’s sales. This history of the class and its enrollment is also taken into consideration.
“If it were that easy, cut and dry, 75%, it would make my job a lot easier,” Dougherty said.
Dougherty went on to explain that some publishers require excess books to be shipped back within a given time period, and often times this due date results in the lack of materials mid-semester.
“I had to put down a $5 deposit and order the book,” Cruz said. “I got it a week later.”
“People can always order books,” Dougherty said. “And if I place the order in the morning, I can usually have it the next day.” This includes specialty orders, books not necessarily used for a class.
“I want to have enough books on the shelf for everyone. The ultimate goal for any bookstore manager is to have one book left on the shelf for every class,” Dougherty said.
