Department reading lists affect local bookstores
By Jr Santo
Published on Wednesday, October 4, 2006
When students look to purchase books for their courses, they often go to one place -- Wheelock Books.
This trend may be affected by the fact that some departments only distribute reading lists to this local bookstore.
"Almost half of all departments choose to give their reading lists only to Wheelock Books," Dartmouth Bookstore Manager John Cusick said.
When Cusick tried to get the course reading lists from the missing departments, he was told "no" to his face by some, he said.
"Why don't we allow the students to have a choice of where they buy their books?" Cusick said. "It's an uneven playing field."
Cusick has tried to appeal to the administration, but it does not have any authority over department administrators in this matter, he said. Though Wheelock Books receives most course book orders, there are a handful that it does not receive, according to Whit Spaulding '89, the store's owner.
Some departments said they chose to give their reading lists only to Wheelock Books because it offers superior customer service.
"Just today, [Wheelock Books Customer Service] came over and gave me all the deadlines for ordering books," classics department administrator Robin Donovan said.
Although Donovan said the classics department did not experience the same level of service with the Dartmouth Bookstore, it often sends its course reading lists to both bookstores so as to give the students freedom of choice.
Others, however, send their reading lists solely to Wheelock Books.
"We only supply Wheelock Books with our reading lists," education department administrator Sandra White said. "We have a wonderful relationship with Whit Spaulding ... who bends over backwards to help the students."
Since her department had a poor relationship with the previous Dartmouth Bookstore owner, it has been a loyal customer of Wheelock Books, White said.
"Because Whit provides such great service," she said, "there is no need to switch."
Spaulding said, "The concept is simple -- Dartmouth faculty have the control to reward good service with continued book orders, and conversely to withhold book orders when the service doesn't meet the standards of their course."
However, not all departments pick one bookstore or the other.
About half of all academic departments send their course reading lists to Wheelock Books as well as the Dartmouth Bookstore.
"To be fair, I let the students decide," English department administrator Deborah Delmore said.