The percentage of used textbooks sold by The College Store at Pennsylvania College of Technology last year was higher than the average for all college bookstores, according to national figures."We encourage the purchase of used books, because they usually represent the best value for our students. Used textbooks are priced to save the students 25 percent of the price for a new copy of the title," said Matthew P. Branca, director of The College Store.
The National Association of College Stores shows in its 2003 annual financial survey that, in bookstores serving both two- and four-year degree programs, 18.6 percent of textbooks were sold as used.
The College Store at Penn College reports that 26.3 percent of the textbooks it sold during the 2002-03 academic year were used.
Branca said students are always looking for the most value for their dollar, so used books sell themselves. The College Store strives to make available as many used books as possible.
"Our used-book sales, as a percentage of total sales, are higher than the industry average simply because we supply more used books," Branca said.
The store purchases unwanted textbooks directly from Penn College students for resale to other Penn College students. It also works closely with its wholesalers to purchase used books.
"Our faculty also price-conscious work diligently to get to us their textbook decisions as early as possible so we can look longer for used copies," Branca said. "School secretaries work closely with our textbook department to gather the information everyone needs. It's really a team effort."
He added, "The survey numbers indicate that The College Store's efforts in obtaining used textbooks from students and other sources provide substantial savings to Penn College students."
For more information about The College Store at Penn College, call (570) 327-4508, send e-mail or visit on the Web.