By Bobby Zeliger
Contributing Writer

The Book Co-op discussed potential improvements at Sunday’s Wesleyan Student Assembly meeting after receiving strong student criticism this fall on large crowds and limited selection of books.

"The line was insanely long [this fall]," said Nonie Hamilton ’03. "But I said to myself, ‘I’m going to stick it out because this is a good cause.’ When I found they didn’t have any of the books I wanted, I trudged dejectedly to Atticus and spent 500 bucks."

Susan Sakash ’00, the self-described "leader by default" of the Book Co-op, said this was the Co-op’s busiest year ever.

She said the group would like to compile a database of the books that the Co-op has on its web page, so potential customers can check whether the title they need is there.

"Also, we’d like to start making it run by appointment only," Sakash said. "People will sign up for a particular time to come in."

The Book Co-op was founded in the 1970’s to provide an affordable alternative to Atticus, according to Sakash.

The program buys used books at forty percent of their original price and then sells them for fifty percent of the original price. Sakash said any surplus from the ten percent difference goes to help buy more books for the Co-op.

According to Sakash, the Co-op has encountered difficulty in the buy-back part of the process.

"We run out of money quickly during buy backs," she said.

Some people have sold back books that are outdated or are no longer on reading lists for classes, Sakash added.

Sakash said the Book Co-op is also facing a shortage of storage space.

"Really, they engage in a contract [when students participate in the Co-op]. They shouldn’t only sell their books back, they should also buy their books from us... What happens is we have a lot of books that are not needed and we can’t get rid of them. This creates a bit of a cramped space," she said.

Sakash said members of the Book Co-op have begun to alleviate this problem by donating books to local libraries and programs such as "Books for Prisoners." They are also adding more shelves and looking into the possibility of storing books at other locations, she said.

"We’re actively working to expand the efficiency of the way the Book Co-op runs. It has the potential to be more than just a student group; it can be a staple of the college itself," Sakash said.