Translation: Oliwia Björk Guzewicz

SAFF MEMBERS AT THE UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE started the new school year filled with ambitions after several changes have been made to the management. Sales subsided slightly during the Covid pandemic but after a difficult few years and considerable revision of the bookstore´s policy and management, optimism is back on the employees’ agenda. The staff are ready to conquer new territory as a new store manager was hired this summer. The representatives want to make the store into a comfortable place that is more than just a bookstore. Children’s corner, a book café and live music are among the things that will be offered by the store, along with an increased variety of products for sale which they consider to be a key to the store's future.

Changed environment in the booksale world

The University Bookstore has a diverse selection of both textbooks and regular books, whether in a print or online form. Sales of printed books have decreased after the arrival of e-books and competition in book sales is intense. “Our online bookstore is doing quite well but the problem is that people tend to purchase fewer school textbooks than they used to. We don't really know what's causing this. It may be that in some cases people are buying e-books on other sites, but we have been encouraging teachers to point to our online bookstore instead,” says Heiður Anna Helgadóttir, information officer at the Students' Services.

The bookstore has been organising a book exchange market during fall and spring, where all textbooks that are taught during the coming school term are accepted, and students who return books receive a credit equal to 40% of the original price of the book. “However, sales of exchange books have been too low,” says store manager Anna Lára Árnadóttir, “and one of the reasons for that is that new editions are published every year and teachers like to insist that students buy the latest edition, despite the fact that the material often changes very little between years.”

“This means that the demand for trade-in books is quite low, and this also involves a lot of waste, as many of these books are in good condition and very usable. We want to continue with the book exchange market, but we need to find a solution which everyone is happy with.”

More than just books

“Today's bookstore has to be about something else and more than just about selling books,” says Heiður Anna Helgadóttir, information officer at the Students services. “We want to be more like a library or a coffee shop: a place to be at and to meet others, a place of presence. We have all kinds of ideas, but we also want to hear what others think, and that's why we're starting a focus group to investigate what students need the most.”

In the Bookstore there is now a children's corner with toys where children can go on about their business while their parents play with books. In the book café, busy students can take a break from their studies and dream of relaxation and idleness with a cup of coffee in hand, as the place offers quality coffee, pastries and chocolates at student prices.

There are also ideas for offering a plant exchange corner and a book exchange corner where students and others can exchange plants and books. In addition, the bookstore offers free facilities for events such as readings or concerts.

Increased variety in product range

The bookstore is located in the heart of the university campus, and there are few other shops around, which is why the store offers various everyday products besides books. Among other things, customers can purchase stationery, utility and gift items, University-branded clothing and toys.

The bookstore also tries to be environmentally friendly by keeping waste to a minimum and reducing the use of packaging. E-books are also considerably more environmentally friendly than printed books.

Sales abroad have always been an important pillar of the store's operation, as libraries and other institutions in other countries are also important customers. Individuals abroad can also shop for books through the Bookstore's online store. Students are frequent visitors, but people come from everywhere to shop for books, and the Icelandic countryside purchases quite a few books through the online store. The store also recently started selling a “start-pack” to new students that includes a pillow and a blanket from Ikea.

“We want to offer quality products, but we try to keep the markup to a minimum, as we are a non-profit-driven company,” says Anna Lára. “We also offer to order books from anywhere in the world, and it can be more economical to order through us than to order directly online, as we can buy books wholesale and the shipping costs will be lower that way. Moreover, we keep the markup to an absolute minimum.”

Non profit driven activities that play a key role

The University Bookstore is run by Students Services, which is a non-profit organisation owned by students of the University of Iceland. Part of the registration fee goes to the services, but the organisation is not for profit. It also runs Student housing, Háma and Stúdentakjallarinn along with two preschools on Eggertsgata.

“We work very closely with the Student Council and we want to hear what students want because they are a part of this organisation,” says Heiður Anna, information officer. “We encourage all students to shop at the Bookstore rather than at the larger chains, as it is in the heart of the university campus and we want to do everything we can to keep it flourishing.”

The University Bookstore: Optimism Despite Adversity