Not an Open Book: The Outsourcing of Oregon’s Community College Bookstores – openoregon.org

Clackamas Community College recently signed a contract to outsource their campus store to Barnes & Noble Education, and Lane Community College’s Board of Education approved the outsourcing of its bookstore despite community objections. Meggie Wright, OER Librarian, Lane Community College, and Colleen Sanders, Reference Librarian, Clackamas Community College, will share their experience with outsourcing negotiations at their colleges. This webinar will offer firsthand insight into some of the problems uncovered by outsourcing, including the incompatibility of the missions of community colleges and for-profit companies; the unsustainability of operating a core student service on a self-support revenue model; and the potential for “openwashing” products that may present academic freedom, accessibility, and student data privacy issues.