Faculty will need special assistance in identifying the right resources from a growing body of information, customizing their course materials, and communicating the core content to students. Whether college stores are able to step into this role depends a great deal on what we do in the next few years. Only in the light of a shared, campus-wide vision can one effectively begin to develop one's full potential. Because the strengths of stores vary, as do institutional purposes, there is no universal solution. However, a store without a plan to effectively contribute to key campus initiatives will, in all probability, find itself downsizing its operations in just a few years.
Books are linear information packages.
They will not go away in the next decade. However, they are already being supplemented by many new information formats. It's hard to imagine a successful college store in the year 2000 that is not involved in the distribution of these products, or those that may supersede them. It is not necessary that every store sell all information products. What is necessary is that every successful store be part of a campus-wide partnership that effectively supplies students and faculty with the information products they need.