Bookstore Transition 2024
Overview
There will be a change in bookstore operations at each of our three colleges over the summer of 2024. Akademos by VitalSource will be our bookstore provider starting in Fall 2004. Follett's contract ends August 6.
Please note: both the online and on-campus bookstores at North, Central, and South will be closed after Friday, July 19, 2024, and will remain closed for most of the summer. More information about reopening will be posted as it is available. Thank you for your patience.
Benefits of Our New Online Bookstore
Akademos works with more than 170 colleges and universities around the country and has provided students with many low-cost textbook options and significant savings. Benefits include:
- Personalization – All your courses and materials are listed on one webpage when you log in with your MySeattleColleges account, removing the need to search across multiple channels for that information.
- Textbook variety – Select from new, used, ebook, and rental textbooks.
- Branded gear – The bookstore will also eventually sell branded apparel and gifts like clothing, hats, mugs, and more.
- Affordable prices – The bookstore has a marketplace where you can save an average of 60% off the list price of textbooks that are sold by students and vendors around the country.
- Optimization – It takes only minutes to review and order textbooks. The website is also mobile-optimized so you can order from any of your digital devices.
- Savings on new books – Price match guarantee on new books.
- Help when you need it – Year-round student support with 24/7 availability during the back-to-school season.
- Free shipping – Save shipping costs on retail orders over $79 (exclusions may apply).
- Sell your used textbooks – Post and sell textbooks on the Valore Marketplace and get an instant quote.
FAQs
Following are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and answers about the transition from Follett to Akademos.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
Follett, the company that has served as our bookstore vendor for the past two years, has chosen not to renew its contract. On April 18, 2024, Follett informed Seattle Colleges that it would exercise its right to decline renewing its service to Seattle Colleges with a 120-day notice, as permitted in the contract.
Since receiving notice from Follett, the Finance Office has revisited vendors who previously submitted proposals in our solicitation for bookstore management vendors to minimize the time needed to research vendors who can provide this service. This review has identified Akademos as an acceptable vendor for our upcoming 2024-2025 academic year.
The transition to Akademos is an emergency response to the short notice of termination provided by Follett. It allows Seattle Colleges to minimize the interruption of course material access for our students and faculty across the district. We understand that this is not an ideal scenario—and it will not solve all issues involved in this process—but we will proceed to provide access to course materials via a reliable vendor.
Faculty should not submit Fall Quarter adoptions to Follett. Instead, submit Fall Quarter adoptions on or before July 15, 2024, via this form:
When sending the adoption list, please note the:
- Course number
- Section number
- Campus
- ISBN, and
- Whether the course material is required or optional
NOTE: The adoptions that had been submitted to Follett have been given to Akademos. Akademos has ALL adoptions submitted by July 15 for Fall Quarter including those that were submitted to Follett and those submitted via the online form sent out in June.
Once the new online bookstore website is up and running, there will be an opportunity for faculty who did not submit their book order before the summer break to put in an order for digital books for their students that should be available early in the Fall Quarter. Training will be provided by Akademos.
The majority of book orders will be delivered directly to students; however over the course of Summer Quarter, on-campus delivery locations will be identified for students who prefer to pick up their materials on campus.
For Fall Quarter adoptions made after July 15, there will be digital material options available for students to purchase. Hard copies will not be available, given the short window of time.
Faculty may still submit Fall Quarter course material adoptions via this form, which is being monitored for new submissions daily:
Note: when submitting the adoption list, please specify the:
- Course number
- Section number
- Campus
- ISBN, and
- Whether the course material is required or optional
Once the new online bookstore website is up and running in September, there will be an additional opportunity for faculty who did not submit their book order before the summer break to put in an order for digital books for their students that should be available early in the Fall Quarter. Training will be provided by Akademos.
For Fall 2024 we are employing a "digital first strategy," meaning that adoptions for Fall 2024 will not be guaranteed to be in print. Should print resources be available, they can be ordered; however the default will be for digital materials available via students’ Canvas dashboard. Customized packets will be available to order through the Online Bookstore website.
Follett’s final termination date is August 6, 2024, and it will take approximately two weeks for them to vacate the store locations on each campus.
Departure Timeline:
- Fri., July 19, 2024 – last day of operation at North – exit space by Fri., Aug. 2, 2024
- Fri., July 19, 2024 – last day of operation at Central – exit space by Fri., Aug. 2, 2024
- Fri., July 19, 2024 – last day of operation at South – exit space by Fri., Aug. 2, 2024
Finance and Operations, IT, and Akademos are currently working together on integrating our systems and developing a Seattle Colleges districtwide bookstore website. All course material purchases will be made online going forward.
Each college is determining how best to serve the needs of their students with regard to a brick-and-mortar bookstore on campus. Our new provider, Akademos, will operate online only. It will be up to each college to manage any on-site bookstore models.
Most bookstore orders will be mailed directly to student homes unless the student requests their order to be picked up on campus. Each campus is managing that separately. More information to come.
No. There will be one centralized, districtwide bookstore website for all Seattle Colleges campuses. Students will be able to filter by college to see what course materials are required for their classes if they access the site from a browser.
Akademos will be integrating their systems with our Seattle Colleges systems. Students will be able to access a personalized version of the Akademos site based on the courses they are enrolled in. This view will show materials faculty have submitted for students for their registered courses.
This new bookstore website will require much of the summer to implement. A tentative target launch date has been identified as Wednesday, September 4, for faculty and administrative users (give or take a week should technical issues arise).
This new bookstore website will require much of the summer to implement. A tentative target launch date has been identified as Wednesday, September 4, for faculty and administrative users (give or take a week should technical issues arise).
You will be notified once the new online bookstore website is fully integrated and ready for ordering for Fall Quarter. Links to the website will be emailed and posted on Seattle Colleges’ website and internal digital channels once it is live.
How does it work?
As a student, you will log in to the website with your MySeattleColleges school account to see a personalized page with the courses you registered for plus the texts that faculty and administrators assigned to them. You can then select from the new, used, rental, and ebook options available. The bookstore also hosts a marketplace, where students around the country and third-party vendors sell new and used textbooks at heavily discounted prices.
Once the new website it available, you should visit the website to review your course list before the start of the term both to ensure you have them in time for the first day of class and to take advantage of the lowest prices available. Textbooks will no longer be for sale on campus, so please plan for the upcoming academic terms.
Where can I deliver my course materials?
Deliver to your home or to campus. If you order digital course materials, access information will be emailed to you. The bookstore also has an eLibrary that keeps a record of all of the digital items you ordered so you can easily refer back to it in case you forgot how to access them.
Most physical book orders will be delivered directly to students at the address they have specified. However on-campus delivery locations have been established for students who prefer to pick up their materials on campus (see below).
On-campus book pick-up locations:
- North: the Micro-Market in the Grove, lower level, Health Sciences and Student Resources (HSSR)
- Central: Department of Auxiliary Services, room 1143, Broadway Edison (BE)
- South: 109 Jerry Brockey Student Center (JMB), shared space with the Art Gallery during the first three weeks of the quarter
Updated August 19, 2024
Message Archives
- North Seattle College: the Micro-Market in the Grove, lower level, Health Sciences and Student Resources (HSSR)
- Seattle Central College: Dept. of Auxiliary Services, room 1143, Broadway Edison (BE)
- South Seattle College: 109 Jerry Brockey Student Center (JMB), shared space with the Art Gallery
- North Seattle College: Kristen Burton, Executive Director of Campus Operations
- Seattle Central College: Johnny Woods, Jr., Executive Director of Campus Operations
- South Seattle College: Hip Nguyen, Executive Director of Campus Operations
- North Seattle College: the Micro-Market in the Grove, lower level, Health Sciences and Student Resources (HSSR)
- Seattle Central College: Dept. of Auxiliary Services, room 1143, Broadway Edison (BE)
- South Seattle College: 109 Jerry Brockey Student Center (JMB), shared space with the Art Gallery
Good Afternoon Colleagues,
The form where faculty can submit their Fall 24 adoption information has been reopened. This form will remain open until the Akademos Online Bookstore website goes live in early September. Once that website is live, adoptions can be placed through that portal.
For Fall 24 we are employing a digital first strategy, meaning that adoptions for Fall 24 will not be guaranteed to be in print. Should print resources be available, they can be ordered, however the default will be for digital materials available via students’ Canvas dashboard. Customized packets will be available to order through the Online Bookstore website.
Going forward, the lead time for adoptions is 10 weeks minimum (industry standard), so please be prepared to submit Winter 25 adoptions within the first few weeks of Fall quarter if you require printed materials. Once it is live, the Akademos Online Bookstore adoption portal will show your previous course adoptions for reference and will also show the availability of different material formats (print, digital, etc.).
Fall adoption form: https://forms.office.com/r/xvke4uH2QZ
For any questions, please reach out to Angela Gurney, Director of Purchasing Services, angela.gurney@seattlecolleges.edu.
Colleagues,
As you may know, our college bookstore management vendor, Follett, has terminated its contract with Seattle Colleges. Akademos will be our online bookstore provider beginning with Fall Quarter 2004.
We have developed a webpage for reference with details about the bookstore transition. Information will be added there as it becomes available.
Our college bookstores are currently closed
Both the online and on-campus bookstores at North, Central, and South have closed, effective Friday, July 19, 2024, and they will remain closed for most of the summer. Follett’s contract ended on August 6.
Each college is determining how best to serve the needs of their students with regard to a brick-and-mortar bookstore on campus. Our new provider, Akademos, will operate online only. It will be up to each college to manage any on-site bookstore models. Most bookstore orders will be mailed to student homes unless the student requests their order to be picked up on campus. Each campus is managing that separately.
New bookstore website in development
Our IT team is now working with Akademos on integrating our systems and developing a Seattle Colleges districtwide bookstore website. All course material purchases will be made online going forward. This new bookstore website will require much of the summer to implement. A tentative target launch date has been identified as Wednesday, September 4, for faculty and administrative users.
Once the website is up and running, there will be an opportunity for faculty who did not submit their book order before the summer break to put in an order for digital books for their students that should be available early in Fall Quarter. Training will be provided by Akademos.
More information to come
Leadership on each campus and district staff coordinating the transition are meeting regularly with Akademos to develop a timeline that will include IT and financial integration, website development, and marketing and communication schedules. We will have more detailed information to share with the Seattle Colleges community soon.
Questions and concerns should be directed to the following leaders.
- North Seattle College: Kristen Burton, Executive Director of Campus Operations
- Seattle Central College: Johnny Woods, Jr., Executive Director of Campus Operations
- South Seattle College: Hip Nguyen, Executive Director of Campus Operations
Thank you for your patience as we navigate this situation.
Julienne DeGeyter
Vice Chancellor of Finance and Operations, Seattle Colleges
There will be a change in bookstore operations at each of the colleges in the coming year. Following is information for faculty and staff who are a part of the textbook adoption process. More information will come to provide further instruction and support.
Akademos will serve as Seattle Colleges’ bookstore vendor for Fall Quarter 2024 and for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Follett, our current vendor, has chosen not to renew its contract but is committed to completing all adoptions for Summer Quarter and fulfilling all student commencement regalia orders at our campus bookstores.
The relationship with Akademos is a temporary contract for the coming academic year only to allow us the time to engage in an inclusive process with stakeholders from faculty, students and others to determine what the Seattle Colleges students and faculty need in a bookstore function. This will guide the steps we take to provide this function in the future.
What faculty need to know and do
Please do not submit Fall Quarter adoptions to Follett. Submit Fall Quarter adoptions via this form:
When sending the adoption list, please note the:
- Course number
- Section number
- Campus
- ISBN, and
- Whether the course material is required or optional
Once we have the new contract in place, these adoptions can be sent to Akademos for processing. Note: any adoptions for Fall Quarter already submitted to Follett will be transitioned to Akademos.
The majority of book orders will be delivered directly to students, however over the course of Summer Quarter, on-campus delivery locations will be identified for students who prefer to pick up their materials on campus.
Why this is happening
On April 18, Follett informed Seattle Colleges that it is exercising its right to decline renewing its service to Seattle Colleges with a 120-day notice, as permitted in the contract.
Since receiving notice from Follett, the Finance Office has revisited vendors who previously submitted proposals in our solicitation for bookstore management vendors to minimize the time needed to research vendors who can provide this service. This review has identified Akademos as an acceptable vendor for our upcoming 2024-2025 academic year.
The transition to Akademos is an emergency response to the short notice of termination provided by Follett. It allows us to minimize the interruption of course material access for our students and faculty across the district. We understand that this is not an ideal scenario—and it will not solve all issues involved in this process—but we will proceed to provide access to course materials via a reliable vendor.
What to expect next
We will provide a timeline and instructions for Fall Quarter 2024 adoptions as soon as possible. Angela Gurney, Director of Purchasing, is working with Follett and Akademos to gather information to share openly as we finalize our contractual commitments.
If you have questions about the textbook process with Akademos, please contact Angela Gurney.
We will provide more information in early Fall 2024 of the process we will initiate to make bookstore services decisions beyond the 2024-2025 academic year.