UCSC’s Bay Tree Bookstore will begin transitioning in December 2021 to an online bookstore platform that enables digital and hard-cover textbook purchases and rentals.
In partnership with Akademos, a premier higher education platform for course content delivery and analytics, students and faculty will have access to a full-service online bookstore providing affordable and efficient access to an extensive range of educational content.
The transition to Akademos will be overseen by a committee co-chaired by Pradip Mascharak, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Angela Cline, director of business and financial analysis for Colleges, Housing, and Educational Services (CHES).
A committee composed of UCSC faculty, students, and staff carefully considered the services offered by industry leaders in the provision of higher education textbook/course material using a range of criteria that encompassed course material affordability, customer service, accessibility, data security, and commitment to diversity and sustainability.
“I welcome this new platform to support the course materials at an affordable price to the students,” said Mascharak. “Akademos will take care of all the licensing of the ebooks from the suppliers thereby making it easy for the instructor to adopt such teaching aids for his or her courses.”
Students and faculty continue to show a growing preference for highly portable digital textbooks, rental textbooks, and other course materials.
For years, textbooks had been the bookstore’s focus. The upward trend for using digital formats has been mirrored by a steep downward trend in purchases of course materials from the store.
Implementation of this new suite of services will continue through this academic year with the plan to fully launch the platform in fall 2022. The Bay Tree Bookstore will continue to operate an on-campus and online store for merchandise and apparel.
Through a competitive bidding process, Akademos was selected as the campus’s preferred partner to create a new online bookstore operation that will offer all required and recommended textbooks and course materials through an integrated e-commerce system. The platform has partnerships with the City University of New York, University of South Dakota, and other universities.
Faculty will see a streamlined, individualized and customizable adoption process that benefits from robust search and review capabilities, real-time pricing and availability indicators, and the inclusion of other course materials, course notes and files.
Students will access a personalized course page displaying only those courses for which they are registered and a list of all related course materials at a range of price points and in a potentially wide variety of formats, including both new and used hard copy versions, electronic versions, and rentals. Students will have access to several low-cost options, enjoy instant access to digital materials, or have an option for their course materials to be shipped to them on an individual basis.
