A NEW CHAPTER...

By Taylor Lieberstein

Austin Peay State University has partnered with national retailer Barnes and Noble to open a new bookstore complete with an extensive selection of used, digital and new textbooks, plus textbook rental and price-match programs as well as a user-friendly app that ensures every student convenience and success.

APSU is Tennessee’s fastest-growing state University. The University’s strategic plan calls for enrollment to reach 15,000 students by the year 2025. Each of these students have a different set of circumstances and needs. Textbook operations have changed dramatically in the last few years and this new partnership brings the University in-line with national bookstore best practices. In today’s digital age expectations around personalization extend far beyond the learning experience, consumers are constantly aided by technology. Their campus bookstore is no exception. And while most college students are digital natives there are still a large market that prefers offline shopping options. According to Barnes & Noble College’s Future of Retail: Path to Purchase study, 89 percent of students still want to shop in store for a variety of things. They want the option to physically touch and try merchandise as well as face-to-face customer service. The new Ann Ross bookstore accommodates both.

While the recent upgrade is primarily due to the evolving bookstore marketplace, it hopes to achieve a second goal, bridging the gap between APSU and the Clarksville community. After years of being hidden away inside of campus, Austin Peay State University’s Ann Ross Bookstore now has a more prominent home at the corner of College and Fourth streets in downtown Clarksville. The move provides the bookstore a much better retail presence for both the campus community and the public. This also allows for a more optimal retail layout, a café that offers a variety of food and Starbucks drinks, and a better parking situation for both visitors and students. The campus bookstore is open to the public, selling best sellers, children’s books, trade books, bargain books, office supplies as well as Austin Peay apparel.

Barnes & Noble College has helped many schools establish the campus store as a hub of activity, supplementing core campus locations like academic buildings, dorms, and student unions. Students choose the campus bookstore for group projects, job interviews and coffee breaks. When they buy apparel for sporting events and snacks to fuel all-night study sessions, it cements the bookstore as an important part of their academic and social life. The relationship between students and the bookstore translates into a deeper connection over time, as alumni visit the bookstore when they return to campus and look for school-branded merchandise online.

Austin Peay's Ann Ross Bookstore, managed and operated by Barnes & Noble College, features a café, with ample space for students, faculty, alumni, and community members to come together. The Barnes & Noble café which serves Starbucks coffee, is one of the most significant changes for the new location. The layout at this location was designed with a more customer friendly experience including a specific online order pickup area. There are several lounge areas equipped with charging stations as well as outside seating.

For university students the Ann Ross Bookstore is truly a one stop shop. Store staff work closely with the school’s professors to ensure they only sell the editions they use in the classroom, saving you time and stress. On the fence about buying books for a class they let you know what is required on day one and when to wait to purchase certain class materials, service you can’t get anywhere else. Buying digital material is just as easy as buying a printed textbook. Just go to your campus bookstore app to purchase digital material. 'Digital' will appear as a textbook option whenever a digital option is available. Whether you buy in-store or online, once your material is available you will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to access your material.

Their interactive my college bookstore app, which can be installed on Android and iPhones, is a valuable tool for students and alumni. App users get exclusive perks, pick-up reminders, order notifications and weekly promotions. Austin Peay has also teamed up with Bartleby to help students study smarter with access to millions of stepby-step textbook solutions, a searchable digital database of homework solutions, and subject matter experts on standby 24/7 to provide homework help when they need it. Students can sign up for less than 10 dollars a month and are offered promotions and discounted rates on the bookstore’s app.

Because they opened the bookstore during a global pandemic, they worked hard to make safe shopping a priority, ensuring that both customers and employees feel comfortable. When customers come in, they will see various safety measures that have been put in place, such as sneeze guards at the registers and changes in the flow of store traffic to promote social distancing. As with campus policy, guests are required to wear a mask when in the store and social distancing is mandatory. They offer curbside pickup and contactless payment.

The new location is located at 328 College Street and is open 7:30am-6:00pm Monday-Friday and 10:00am-4:00pm on Saturdays, closed on Sunday. Visit apsu.bncollege.com/shop/apsu/home for more details.