New bookstore causes campus confusion

by CAROLINE HAYES

Staff Writer

This semester, students won’t be able to find books inside the UMW bookstore. Since this summer, the bookstore moved completely online, with the physical space on campus now only containing UMW merch. With this change, books are no longer physically available in the bookstore and must now be purchased through a website partnered with the University of Mary Washington, eCampus. 

eCampus allows students to search for their classes online and find their assigned course materials, letting them purchase or rent books through the site. The change has affected how students interact with the bookstore, as they now rely on an online system rather than being able to browse and purchase books in person. 

For some students, the change offers a bit of a silver lining.

“Overall, I don’t think it’s a terrible thing, because in a way it does kind of make it easier,” said Travis Jimenez, a sophomore biomedical science and psychology major. 

While Jimenez said the change has made ordering books easier, he feels the bookstore itself has lost some of its charm. 

“I think it did kind of ruin the bookstore aesthetic, and going in there just feels bland now,” he said.

While some students don’t mind moving to online shopping, it feels different and new to those used to going in and buying books. 

“I don’t think it’s the worst thing, but I do miss being able to walk into the bookstore and see everything in person,” said Xander Mosley, a sophomore philosophy major.

Prices have also long been a topic of discussion, as required course materials often cost more than a hundred dollars per class. Students tend to try to look for cheaper options from other stores, sites or people. 

“I didn’t need to order a lot of textbooks this year,” said Blake Mcmillian, a freshman. “The one I did have to purchase was super expensive, and I was questioning how I was going to even buy it.” 

Professors have noticed some challenges as well, particularly when it comes to getting books in time for class.

“In one of my other classes, I have the first assignment this Thursday and students have told me it’s been an issue getting the physical book that quickly. I think it may create some problems that the bookstore and university did not intend,” said Professor of English Gary Richards. 

For Jimenez, the need for a physical bookstore is less about buying books and more about having a space that feels like a bookstore. 

“I think our bookstore should bring back the physical books in person, just so it looks better, but also so we have those options,” he said. “But if we do not, I think we should at least fill the bookshelves instead of just keeping it an empty, dead space.” 

For other students, these issues have raised enough concern that they have sourced their books from off-campus retailers, most citing higher costs and difficulties operating new interfaces.   

“My experience this year has only been to opt out of the book for my class as I prefer physical books,” said Alyx McMurdy, a junior elementary education major.  “Even then, ordering them through the bookstore was a whole different thing, so I ended up ordering elsewhere.”

While a handful of students and professors have yet to see the bookstore’s new look, they say they believe moving it online might take away a staple part of the student experience.

“I loved the old system of seeing what other people were teaching, seeing the physical books there,” said Richards. ”Seeing the physical books reinforces, I think, psychologically that we’re invested in reading, that we are invested in extracting meaning from these texts and talking about them.”