Schools

D86 Considers Online Bookstore

Board members will vote on the measure March 21.

The days of spending hours in line at the bookstore could be over for Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central families.

At Monday night’s Regular Action Meeting, Hinsdale Township District 86 Board Members heard a presentation by Business Manager Jeff Eagan and high school administrative staff recommending the district transition to an online bookstore.

“Our primary focus was how we could make [the bookstore] more user-friendly,” Superintendent Dr. Nicholas Wahl told the board. Adding that finding a more affordable option for families was also a priority.

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The presenters recommended using the River Grove-based vendor Follett Virtual Bookstore. While the schools will still have a bookstore in-house, all textbook buying will occur online, at any time of day. Families will have the option to rent books at a discounted price and will still be able to shop around for cheaper options.

“That’s the big thing—families will have the opportunity 24/7 to buy books at their schedule, at their timeframe and allow a little more convenience in searching for those books, in terms of other avenues,” said Bill Walsh, assistant principal of operations at Hinsdale Central.

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Eagan stressed that buying books through Follett would save families money and provide the district with extra income. Follett would pay the district a commission depending on revenue, he said.

Under the current system, families go online and reserve a time at which to go to the school’s bookstore to buy books. Book buying lasts a limited time during the summer—about four weeks at Hinsdale Central and about one week at South. 

Eric Martzolf, assistant principal of operations at Hinsdale South, said that this limited timeframe creates a lot of frustration among families and students who have to compete with work, vacation or summer athletic schedules when trying to buy books.

The board agreed to vote on the measure at the March 21 meeting.  


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