Any non-freshman student who walks into the campus bookstore this semester will notice a substantial shift in its structure. It changed from an open space, accessible to students to a sanctioned-off area, only accessible to bookstore staff. Though the change is likely beneficial for freshmen and transfer students, it is a time-consuming annoyance for those used to the old system.

Before the change was implemented, the bookstore’s layout was arranged by class, with each shelf section having every textbook a particular class requires. Students would go down the aisles themselves, consulting their schedules and syllabi to know which books to buy.

Now, students looking to buy books from the bookstore have to walk up to the reception desk, request their class textbook list and check off which books they want to buy. After those forms are filled out, a staff member goes through the shelves to locate the requested books and check them out to students.

Freshmen and transfer students would probably find the old system confusing and hectic, as the aisles would often be filled with students frantically trying to locate their class section on the shelves. They would welcome a system change that puts less responsibility on the student.

For students that have gotten used to the store and how it is structured, however, the new system is slow-moving, compared to what could have been a quick process of going to a shelf and selecting a book now becomes a rigmarole of forms and lines. The current system also makes it difficult for students to purchase books that are not listed as required by their courses but are nevertheless useful to own.

Because of this disparity, the best approach is likely a compromise, allowing students the choice to select their own books or utilize the bookstore staff. Granted, there is the risk that this could create crammed aisles, making travel difficult for both staff and students, but there is a way to rearrange the bookstore to make it easier to handle the increased traffic.

The bookstore should never be a hectic, confusing mess for students, regardless of academic level, but the current system trades crammed aisles for long lines. This has shifted, rather than solved, the problem the change was likely aiming to address. Because the intentions were well-founded, though, it is both possible and crucial to implement a system that creates the least stress for staff members and students alike.

Photo by Jacob Manrow | The Oswegonian