President's Update: March 2015
Arlyn Schaufler
President, ICBA Board of Directors

With all that is happening at ICBA, it is difficult to decide where to begin my first “Update” as ICBA President.  Our 2015 Retail Conference, in my opinion, was our best ever.  Every educational session was outstanding, vendor meetings seemed active and productive, and the energy from owner networking, as always, was amazing.  Based on my short visit to Atlanta, the positive buzz carried right into CAMEX.  But now, the attention is on change -- change on an unprecedented level.
 
ICBA Headquarters Relocation 
Ever since the WCBA expanded its vision and became the Independent College Bookstore Association, each successive Board of Directors has discussed moving the organization from Ashland, OR, to a “hub city” that would make ICBA more accessible to its growing member base and the participating vendor community.  In 2013, the Board made the commitment to relocate the offices when Stacy Waymire chose to step down as Executive Director.
 
As you all know, Stacy made that decision last year, and after a wide and vigorous search, Fred Weber was named CEO of ICBA.  Since Fred is a native Chicagoan, and the Windy City, in many ways, is the center of our market, ICBA will be relocating to Chicago this summer.  As a transportation hub, Chicago will make it easy for the Board of Directors, our members at large, and both current and prospective vendor partners to visit, meet, and exchange ideas about how ICBA can help lead the way for independent college stores.
 
In a related move, and with full Board participation and support, Fred made the decision that all full-time ICBA staff must work from the ICBA office.  Given the size of the organization and the need for frequent communication and maximum innovation, it seems right that the ICBA staff work side-by-side every day.  I think we all have had the experience of an informal, unscheduled, spontaneous conversation leading to a solution that might otherwise not have been proposed.  This is a policy that several large companies have recently made, and one that, I believe, will benefit ICBA in the long run.  Our expectation is that the ICBA Chicago office will be fully up and running by August 1, 2015.
 
ICBA Staff Reorganization 
In addition to providing the occasion for ICBA’s relocation, Stacy’s decision to reduce his time commitment to the organization also prompted a review of the ICBA staff structure.  With the pace of industry change only accelerating, the Board instructed the Transition Team to conduct the CEO search with a focus on strategy and leadership development.  Reflecting this priority, the new staff position, Chief Operating Officer, was created to bring more of these skills to the executive level of the organization.
 
It was our good fortune that during the search process, the Transition Team was introduced to Jon Bibo.  Co-founder of Bibo-Walsh Retail Consulting Services, Jon has over 25 years experience in the college store industry, including 6 years with the Case Western Reserve Bookstore, 15 years as VP of Sales and Marketing at NACSCORP, and 6 years as VP of General Merchandise for Follett Higher Education Group.  Jon has accepted the new position of ICBA COO, and has hit the ground running since his March 1^st start date.  While Jon’s focus will be primarily on program development and strategic planning, he has been working closely with Marty Duncan to ensure that our vendor partners stay informed and connected.
 
As with many changes, however, there can be undesired consequences.  In our case, both Marty Duncan and Skye Carlson have chosen not to follow ICBA to Chicago, and over the summer, they will be transitioning out of their respective positions.  Together, Marty and Skye have given 20 years of dedicated and loyal service to ICBA, helping us to become the preeminent organization representing independent college stores.  Marty and Skye have been the face of ICBA to many members and vendors.  They have worked tirelessly to help ICBA programs set the standards of excellence in our industry.  They will leave an important and valuable legacy to the future of ICBA.
 
Marty and Skye are both committed to the successful relocation of ICBA to Chicago and the smooth transition to a new team.  They already have been working on plans to bring their successors on board and to use existing programs as platforms for delivering more value to all ICBA stakeholders.  Just as our past success has depended on their efforts, so, too, will our ability to manage these important changes as we move forward in this great industry.
 
Some Things Will Not Change 
Although ICBA will have a new home and a new staff, the important things that have set us apart will not change.  As Board members, Ambassadors, and members old and new understand, ICBA’s commitment to innovation, willingness to step out and lead, and the passion of our members for both the industry and our organization have been the foundation of our success.  Although our offices will be in Chicago, and there will be a few new names on the staff roster, the ICBA mission and values will remain rock solid.  It is our intention not tochange the ICBA culture, but to leverage it for the benefit of our owners, our vendor partners, and the independent store channel.
 
Moreover, because the challenges we face are great and our resources are limited, we are committed to collaborating with other like-minded organizations.  A small ICBA delegation will join teams from Indico, NACS, CCRA, and CRA, in early May, to prioritize our opportunities, and when possible, combine our resources to maximize the impact that we can have on the industry.  These are challenging times, but there are opportunities for independent stores to make a difference in the lives of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other customers of our stores.  It is our intention to realize these opportunities, and in the process, to build the strength, reputation, and influence of the ICBA.  I will do my best to keep you updated on our progress on all fronts with periodic “Messages.”  Please stay tuned.

ICBA President’s Update: May 2014

David Kent, President ICBA Board of Directors

ICBA and indiCo Commit to Collaboration                                      

In my January Update I shared with you the ongoing discussions between ICBA and indiCo toward establishing a collaborative relationship to advance the independent college store channel. Today I am happy to tell you that we have reached agreements with indiCo to collaborate on several significant actions.

Last week the Executive Committee of the ICBA Board of Directors, the Campus eBookstore Board of Directors, and the indiCo Board of Directors met for two days in Denver. Our number one focus was the future of independent college stores in the digital course materials market. Following that we addressed a number of other strategic issues. At that meeting agreement was reached for collaborative actions on the following:

Campus eBookstore

Elevating and escalating industry development

A Joint indiCo, Campus eBookstore, and ICBA Announcement

The indiCo LLC Board of Directors has unanimously approved a resolution to endorse Campus eBookstore Inc. as a premier, store-centered digital content delivery platform, and further advocates that independent college stores adopt the Campus eBookstore platform as a store solution for digital delivery of course materials. Campus eBookstore, Inc. (CEI) is owned and controlled by independent college stores, was designed and developed specifically to support independent college stores, and is managed by a set of unwavering principles that are centered on both the store and the higher education marketplace (see below). 

At industry-related meetings, and through survey responses, independent college stores cited the high priority need for a common and standardized platform for stores to directly sell publisher access codes and ebooks, along with the capability for an integral store role in supporting the course fee-based model for digital content delivery.   In addition, many stores are being asked to support the distribution of Open Educational Resources (OER) and other faculty-generated course materials.  The ability to support all of these functions is found within the CEI platform.

By some estimates, the digital “tipping point” for higher education course materials will occur within the next 36 months.   When this occurs, college stores will need to have fully transitioned their business practices and be in a position to support the sale and distribution of a wide range of course material format options.   “CEI is the only platform, presently, that has kept pace with the evolution of digital course materials” says Ed Schlichenmayer, President of indiCo LLC.  “Stores will be better positioned to serve faculty and student interests in the future, and can offer their institutions the technology capabilities needed to stay relevant with the ongoing advancement of course materials.”

Campus eBookstore was formed through an initiative of Canadian Campus Retail Associates (CCRA), which functions as a technology development incubator on behalf of the twenty-two universities that own CCRA. “The future of any one store is tied to the future of the channel as a whole,” says Chris Tabor, President of CCRA. “Our ability to succeed in the course material market is not about any individual store’s numbers. It is about the number of stores.”

In 2011, recognizing the capabilities of the CEI platform were important to independent stores in the United States, the Independent College Bookstore Association (ICBA) invested in CEI and holds a minority ownership interest.  “The market has never been more dynamic, competition has never been more intense, and our future has never been more uncertain,” says David Kent, ICBA President. “These are times that require any organization that lays claim to represent the interest of independent college stores to innovate as we have never innovated before.” With its endorsement of CEI, indiCo is pledging to work collaboratively with both CEI and ICBA in the broader effort of strengthening independent college stores as a viable collegiate retail channel.  

Campus eBookstore, Inc. Principles

1. The Platform will be licensed or made available by Campus eBookstore for use by independent college store retailers, and will be control by independent college store retailers, and will not be transferred to or controlled by software system vendors or integrators, publishers, book wholesalers, distributors or other vendors of books. 
2. The Platform will support the capacity for inclusion and distribution of faculty-authored content as well as commercially-available materials.
3. The business model rules and practices used in concert with the Platform will reflect the academic nature and timings of the collegiate retail marketplace.
4. The business model rules used in concert with the Platform will support content sales and marketing practices that offer favourable or emphasized terms for university presses and other smaller publishers as defined by Campus eBookstore.
5. The model used by Campus eBookstore for the use and distribution of the Platform will be scalable with the ability to enable digital distribution for the broadest range of college stores (as defined by sales volume and campus enrollments).

Centralized Channel Data

Building a credible voice for the independent college store channel

To develop a trustworthy voice in which administrators can believe, requires that we have the data, knowledge and insights that authenticate our positions. Toward that goal ICBA and indiCo will invest in commissioned research into retail technology standards, how digital content is being received and experienced by campus administrators, faculty and students, trends in campus decision-making regarding the institutional college store management model, and the collection and analysis of independent college store practices and financial performance.

Professional Development

Retail training for college store professionals

Building on the success of the ICBA Institute model, ICBA and indiCo will collaborate to provide both a rich curriculum and a format that delivers the skill sets necessary to succeed with new business models for individual store staff, and the store as a whole.

Building a Committed Buying and Sourcing Service

Functioning as a virtual chain

Using the ICBA Commit-Buy-Sell program as our foundation, ICBA and indiCo will collaborate to deliver a committed buying and sourcing service to independent college stores.

As you can see, we are intent on tackling the most significant issues of our channel head-on. We continue to be guided by the ICBA Promise:

• Exclusive institutional store sharing
• Unsurpassed buying programs
• Industry-leading professional development
• Decision-making voice & pride of ownership

I will be updating you as plans unfold.  

ICBA President’s Update: January 2014 

David Kent, President ICBA Board of Directors

As we end one year and begin a new year I want to share with you some ICBA updates.

ICBA Collaborates with NACS indiCo

The action we took in 2013 that holds the greatest promise for 2014 is our collaboration with NACS indiCo. Ten months ago George Masforroll, NACS President and ICBA member, and Ed Schlichenmayer, indiCo President and COO, invited ICBA to collaborate in identifying and initiating actions in a joint venture to serve the interests of the independent college store channel. During the past year ICBA has invested significant resources into developing this venture. Up until now this has not been widely known outside of ICBA and NACS leadership. It is now my obligation as your President to share with you the strategic value ICBA assigns to this venture.  

Independent college stores as a channel are facing the most challenging time in the history of our industry. The market has never been more dynamic, competition has never been more intense, and our future has never been more uncertain. These are times that require any organization that lays claim to represent the interest of independent college stores to innovate as we have never innovated before.

At ICBA we believe that the independent college store channel must be fully functional with shared, foundational, support solutions. And we have very little time to reach a significant level of functionality with solutions that do not currently exist (although the potential does), and in collaborations that have never been tried before (yet offer so much to all the stakeholders). As a channel we must match our greatest competitors. It is time for us to risk more than others may think safe, and to expect more than others may think possible. Toward these goals ICBA aims for collaboration at the organizational level. We understand that with technology as our cornerstone we will be able to realize the networking capabilities of our stores as an organized channel. And that shared services is a critical element toward developing the resources needed to accomplish these goals.

Collaboration is not a new effort for ICBA. Our organization is built on store-to-store collaboration. In recent years ICBA has engaged in successful partnerships with other store and vendor organizations. We found the invitation from NACS indiCo to engage in collaborative ventures as not only right up our alley, but timely and compelling. Over the past ten months we have engaged in discussion and development at the highest levels of both organizations. In May the following people met to identify our joint strategic interests:

• George Masforroll, NACS President, and Associate Vice President, Auxiliary Services, Broward College
• Brian Cartier, NACS CEO
• Ed Schlichenmayer, NACS Deputy CEO, and indiCo President and COO
• Jeff Zeilenga, indiCo Board member, and Assistant Vice Chancellor, University of Missouri
• David Kent, ICBA President, and Director Vol Shops, University of Tennessee
• Arlyn Schaufler, ICBA Vice President, and General Manager The Duck Store, University of Oregon
• Stacy Waymire, ICBA Executive Director

The overarching sense of urgency was reflected in this opening statement:

In order to survive, within two years, the independent college store channel must be functional with shared support solutions that:

1. Improve the capabilities of all independent stores
2. Advance the channel as a whole
3. Enable the channel to compete more successfully 

Now is the time. This is the Place.

ICBA identifies the following strategies at the channel level:

• Industry cloud services
• Digital and custom content platform
• Digital marketing applications
• Centralized channel data
• Research
• Shared reporting platform
• Technology standards
• Training and professional development
• Retail intelligence
• Sourcing services
• Marketing and promoting the independent college store management model
• Independent college stores as a virtual brand
• Establishing an industry voice

As our collaborative efforts with NACS indiCo continue ICBA is guided by our understanding that in times of market disruption, competitive advantage is typically based on as yet unknown factors. So capability and flexibility are the keys. At the same time action is paramount because unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes. ICBA is moving forward with these priorities, and it is our hope that NACS indiCo will continue as our collaborative partner. I will be updating you as plans unfold.   

ICBA 2014 New Orleans

Capturing our imaginations in the immediate future is the ICBA 2014 Retail Conference. For the third straight year in a row we have set new records for store and vendor registrations. The ICBA Conference in New Orleans will be our most well attended ever. It is worth noting that this will be our eighty-fourth annual meeting. ICBA was founded eighty-seven years ago but we did not hold meetings from 1943 to 1945 because of World War II. I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans for a dynamic business exchange, and to enjoy the supportive camaraderie of the independent store culture. For those of you not able to attend, ICBA will be capturing many of the sessions on video for on-demand viewing after the event.

Welcome New Members

Yet another record for ICBA is that in 2013 we had the largest influx of new members for any year. Over thirty-four new members join us as we head into 2014. ICBA’s strategic goals in terms of membership are focused on growing the value we deliver to our member stores. We have never striven to be the largest organization. Our goal is to be the most valuable organization. ICBA remains the only professional cooperative in the industry serving institutional stores exclusively.

I hope this new year brings prosperity to your enterprises, and joy to your life!

ICBA President’s Update: August 2013

From David Kent, President

ICBA Board of Directors
Director, VOLSHOP, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Phone: 865.974.1042 | email me

Just in the nick of time, before you get swallowed up with back-to-school rush, I’m happy to share with you a summary of recent ICBA updates, highlights and happenings. On behalf of the ICBA Board of Directors I encourage you to contact us anytime with your thoughts and ideas.

ICBA 2014 Retail Conference
February 3-6, 2014 | Marriott New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana
Store registration opened on Wednesday, July 31, and as of today, Tuesday August 13^th, there are 158 members registered. It seems everyone, everywhere, is buzzing about the ICBA 2014 Retail Conference, not only because it’s in festive New Orleans, but also because the conference program, as always, promises to provide outstanding solution-oriented education while strengthening core relationships among store professionals, as well as with vendors. Additionally, there’s a lot of excitement about the annual Large Stores Group (LSG) Meeting co-locating with us. As ICBA strives to strengthen the brand and voice of the institutional store model, we’re extremely excited about this collaboration as another way to further cultivate strategic actions and strengthen independent stores as an industry. We are also excited about Verba Software’s decision to co-locate their inaugural Boot Camp with the ICBA Conference, thus growing the value for ICBA course material managers and buyers. Register for ICBA 2014 here.

Operating Surveys Are Now Open
By now your store has probably either completed the first part of the two-part Operating Survey or you’re in the thick of it. The Operating Survey is one of the best ICBA benefits available to you, so please keep these fast-approaching deadlines in your list of priorities:

• Survey 1 – Practice and Preferences closes on August 15, 2013.
• Survey 2 – Store Profile and Supplemental Financial Information closes September 30, 2013.

In mid-July, ICBA distributed unique store-specific-links to each member. The store-specific-links make it possible for you to enter partial data, leave the survey, and then return later to complete. If you believe you haven’t received your unique link, please contact ICBA. Learn more.

LSG Partners with ICBA for Operating Survey Platform
The dynamic relationship between ICBA and the Large Stores Group (LSG) continues to grow with LSG’s decision to join us in utilizing our new KPMG Operating Survey platform. Currently over ninety percent of U.S. LSG stores belong to ICBA.

Board of Directors Mid-year Meeting
The twelve Directors making up the ICBA 2013 Board of Directors spent three days, from July 17-19, discussing the industry and making plans. In addition to standard updates and reports from Executive Director, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary and Staff, we focused on strengthening  ICBA, improving benefits and on future solutions—firstly for members and ultimately for independent stores everywhere. To narrow in on how to best serve members, we examined the board structure, ways to empower staff and improve competence, membership types and their needs, touched on technology needs, and discussed programs and services.

During the ICBA Board Meeting not a minute was wasted. During breakfast, lunch and dinner we continued our conversations and our focus on solutions for the future. During lunches, committees and work groups took time to meet and shared these few highlights:

• Membership Committee finalized questions for ICBA Member Satisfaction Survey. Be on the lookout and let us know what you think—anytime, not just via surveys and evaluations.
• Annual Meeting & Education Committee shared that among a vast array of education for all store professionals, the Conference will also narrow in on POS developments such as mobile and social, integrating systems, system-to-system data flow, Customer Relationship Management, loyalty programs and analytics from big data to big insights. As part of this effort, ICBA has confirmed Joe Skorupa, Editor-in-Chief of RIS News, and Richard Mader, Executive Director, NRF Association for Retail Technology Standards, as presenters at the ICBA 2014 Retail Conference.
• Technology Solutions Committee reported that they continue to explore out-of-industry POS system providers as a way to help identify improvements for our industry, and how they might improve store performance. 
• The Executive Committee is striving to collaborate with indiCo, NACS, LSG and other organizations on ways to further support independent college store needs. The Operating Survey and co-location are examples already in place. Potential proposals might incorporate such ideas as establishing technology standards, centralizing data and analytics, growing industry business intelligence and digital content platforms.

To discuss the pulse of the industry, broaden our perspectives and deepen our search for solutions, three guests were invited to join us for a day. We were honored and thankful that these industry leaders took the time to meet with us: Chris Tabor, Campus eBookstore President, Canadian Campus Retail Associates President, and Director at Queens University; George Masforroll, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services at Broward College, and NACS President; and Jeff Nelson, Director of Bookstores & Card Services at Bowling Green State University, and ICBA Technology Solutions Committee Chair. The insights and outcomes were invaluable and will inevitably be interlaced into strategic actions going forward.

Overall, the meeting was significantly successful. As news and actions surface from the Board Meeting, I’ll continue to keep you updated.

Nominations for Board of Directors
In July, during the Board Meeting, directors defined how many positions and what roles would be needed for the 2014 ICBA Board of Directors. A call for nominees from the membership will be communicated from the Nominating Committee in September.

Jeff Zeilenga Departs from the Board
Jeff Zeilenga (University of Missouri) has stepped off of the ICBA Board of Directors just six months shy of completing his term, due to other commitments and obligations. Jeff will continue to serve on the ICBA Technology Solutions Committee. Thank you to Jeff for his generous service to ICBA members!

Campus eBookstore Update
ICBA partnered with Canadian Campus Retail Associates to create Campus eBookstore (CEI). The goal of Campus eBookstore is to demonstrate the capability and credibility of independent college stores as viable participants in the distribution of digital course materials.

Where have we succeeded, and where have we not? CEI has succeeded in the first two phases of CEI development; free materials (Digital Study Versions), and commercial eTextbooks, with our partner Vital Source. Where we have not succeeded is in achieving a position in the distribution of publisher access codes in the United States, although CEI is currently distributing selected publisher access codes in Canada. We are continuing to work toward achieving that goal.

Going forward, CEI will be debuting additional software services for affiliated stores including buyback pricing data, buyback price look-up and email marketing tools, competitive pricing feeds, peer-to-peer classifieds, and product reviews.

Welcome New ICBA Members
If you haven’t already done so, please welcome the following new members that joined ICBA between January 1 and August 1, 2013.

• Auraria Higher Education Center
• Bellevue College
• Big Bend Community College
• California State University, Chico
• California State University, Fresno
• Cornell University
• Flagler College
• McGill University
• Missouri State University
• McMaster UniversityPeninsula College
• University of British Columbia
• University of California, Davis
• University of California, Irvine
• University of Nevada at Reno
• University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• University of Victoria

Sincerely,

Ten Things Stores Can Do To Drive the Course Materials Future

Ten Things Stores Can Do To Drive the Course Materials Future

Campus stores are entitled with a unique opportunity to maximize the strength of the collegiate retail channel, especially as it relates to the course materials marketplace.

Those without the experience of working outside the institution can easily overlook the established advantages we can capitalize upon, campus services that can be enhanced, and value-added strengths that can be built upon. The basics include offering convenience and customer service, facilitating communication with faculty and students, collaborating with strategic partners, managing consolidated transactions, and controlling costs.

While offering valued services to faculty, students, administrators, and other course material stakeholders proves competency, capability, and credibility, this is not enough. To ensure a position of strength for the course materials future, collegiate retailers must consider forward thinking strategies and be open to new ways of thinking. The list that follows represents contemporary actions that can be taken to drive the future of course materials.

1. Think & Read Strategically. It is very easy to get caught up in the day to day routine, especially when trying to achieve more with increasingly scarce resources. Although it requires extra effort, the importance of taking time out to think strategically is absolutely critical to future success. Devote time to surveying the competitive landscape by knowing what is going on in the business, taking stock of where you stand today, and plotting a strategic course for the future. Avoid the "tyranny of the tactical".

2. Pursue Digital Options. The transition from print to digital is affected by many factors, including how it is priced, the quality of the product, the resulting perceived value by the student, and the delivery technology. This makes a precise transition schedule difficult to predict, and while student adoption of the medium to date has been limited, the shift IS inevitable. Only those stores who are fully engaged in digital opportunities today will be adequately prepared for the opportunity of tomorrow.

3. Pursue Textbook Affordability Initiatives. While the vast majority of college stores are expected to pursue a profit-based mission, the students of today value organizations that also balance a socially responsible agenda, including sustainability initiatives, promoting student scholarship, and most importantly, helping students to save money on the high cost of textbooks. Genuine efforts in this area will improve customer perceptions of transparency and be rewarded by increased customer trust and loyalty. This translates directly to market share and besides - it's the right thing to do.

4. Engage Actively with Higher Ed. The higher education landscape college stores work in continues to evolve as do the students with each incoming class. Campus stores must engage with technology trends and the customer of tomorrow in multiple ways. This can include traditional industry sources, paying attention to industry thought leaders, engaging with campus and governmental stakeholders, following results of research among future college students, and monitoring important trend sources outside higher education.

5. Seek Collaborative Opportunities. These can be from within and from outside of the campus walls. Consider potential partners who may have been perceived a threat in the past as well as those who may not have been a consideration at all. Creating networks of strategic partners is a characteristic of companies that survive radical change to their industry when compared to those organizations who do not survive. Many non-traditional resources could be well positioned to replace services traditionally provided by college stores and those that overlook this fact will risk being marginalized.

6. Consider Alternative Success Measures. One of my favorites is "New Text Equivalent" or "NTE" Sales - for measuring comparable growth despite selling course materials at lower price points, i.e. used textbooks, rentals, etc. This measure can be used in parallel with "FTE" or Full Time Enrollment to assess sales performance as it may be impacted by fluctuations with enrollment. Both equivalencies have the effect of "flattening" out variances between full & part time enrollment and selling more textbooks but at a lower price.

7. Seek Customer Satisfaction & Loyalty. This may seem obvious, but market share will be retained and grown by listening attentively to your current (and future) customer, offering a variety of options to meet their needs. It's a mistake to focus exclusively on promoting top line revenue, protecting a traditional gross profit margin standard, or clinging to outdated ways of thinking. Tangible benefits can also be earned from customer loyalty programs, customer relationship management (CRM), and communicating in their medium of choice - social media.

8. Track Market Share Not Just Top Line Revenue. As pricing models change and online affiliate partnerships proliferate, unit sales variance can be used as an approximate measure of captured (or lost) market share. Including online sales through affiliate partnership is more realistic than assessing in-store sales alone. Unit sales per FTE is a comparative measure that can benchmark stores serving very different student enrollments.

9. Don't Be Afraid to Act Decisively. Managing calculated risk balances avoiding the "bleeding edge" on one hand and "paralysis by analysis" on the other. As long as decisions and actions are well-informed, innovation can actually reduce risk instead of increasing it. Doing nothing creates more risk than doing something and being unsuccessful and the cost of inaction is being marginalized as a service provider and contributing to the opportunity of alternate resources.

10. BE Your Future. The best way to predict the future is to take an active role in creating it. Actively engage your colleagues on campus and in the industry, including vendor partners, share your expertise, and adopt the advanced thinking of others. There is no silver bullet, no single solution to insure the future of the college store. Be persistent, stay positive, and don't give up.

Written by Jeff Nelson, BGSU Bookstore Director and ICBA President

It’s the (Digital) Content, Stupid! (Or is it…)

“Up to 80% off with Kindle Textbook Rental” (Amazon.com)

“Deciding on a Book, and How to Read It” (New York Times)

“The Secondary Cost of Digital” (Inside Higher Ed)

“eBook report: Nook is up, iPad still catching up” (eCampus News)

“Amazon expected to sell 3 to 5 million tablets in Q4 2011” (ZDNet)

“Inkling Launches Version 2.0, Brings the Collective Wisdom of Every Student to the Textbook” (Sys-Con.com)

“Kno’s Textbooks Is Top Back-To-School iPad App With One Download Every 8 Seconds” (TechCrunch.com)

“Amazon Will Be Tablet Product Strategists’ New Frenemy” (Forbes)

“Hood College: Freshman orientation and an iPad” (eCampus News)

“Amazon Cloud Player – A New Way to Enjoy Your Music” (Amazon.com)

“Analysis: With HP tablet dead, who can challenge Apple?” (Reuters)

One thing is certain.  There is as much interest and intrigue as there is diversity of opinion and predictions for the future when it comes to digital content and devices that can read that content.  The title of this blog is obviously adapted from the phrase made popular by political strategist James Carville during Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 run for President, but this topic has little to do with politics and everything to do with success.

Not too long ago, the focus was almost entirely upon the device.  The enTourage eDGe, the iPad, the Kindle, you name it.  By one count, literally hundreds of device manufacturers gearing up to serve your digital book needs.  Some predictions I read for this fall projected 40% of U.S. college students would return to campus with some type of a tablet.

Some companies, like Kno, didn’t even get to first base with the reader before doing a ‘corporate strategy 180’ and concentrating on software of content delivery instead.  Others either never made it to market, or like HP, showed up with a long awaited tablet only to announce that the prices would be slashed and they wouldn’t pursue this market after all.  Either corporate ADD is alive and well or the pace of change in the marketplace is increasing so fast that fulfillment can’t keep up with strategic planning.

The growth of the iPad in the context of higher education – in terms of device sales, but also when considering apps, new app development, and specifically educational uses – is irrefutable.  I get a kick out of one middle management executive who took pride in the fact just two years ago that he was still not yet tethered to a smart phone.  Today he carries an iPad 2 and brags about his business productivity apps.

“…Web queries for 'Kindle textbooks' are up 60 percent from this time last year. Same goes for 'Nook textbooks.' Searches for 'iPad textbooks' are up 40 percent. Whether or not students are buying e-textbooks this year, they seem to be shopping for them.” - Google

Enter the 800 pound gorilla (Amazon).   Although Amazon is as tight lipped as my Apple Rep around a rumored new product release, industry analysts are making huge predictions about the potential sales of an Amazon tablet, especially if it is sold as a loss leader at or below cost.  (Screech!)  That’s the sound of me slamming on the brakes.  Say what?  How can Amazon be successful if they don’t earn profits on the sale of a new device?  Refer back to my title.  It’s not all about the device.

If any corporate technology giant has a chance to challenge Apple for the tablet/digital content market, Amazon is the one.  Although the companies have very different corporate strategies, both have been successful with these approaches.  And yet, the back-to-school results for Kno and their software are astounding.  One download every 8 seconds?  Are you kidding me?  The #1 iPad education app and #2 grossing iPad app overall?  That’s impressive.  The open question is: “will the content sales follow?”

Although there are only a handful of titles right now, Inkling is a content model to watch carefully.  This involves an enriched, enhanced, and interactive digital version of textbook content.  In the study “Journey to Textbook Affordability: students use experiences of e-textbooks in five California State University campuses” (February, 2011), just 34% of the students reported overall satisfaction with an e-textbook. 

Could that be because the majority of e-textbooks are still dull PDF versions of the printed books that can’t be sold back, probably expire, and may not be value-priced when compared to their printed cousins?

“The Secondary Cost of Digital” is an example of how the marketplace and misperceptions of the average reader is evolving from “all e-books are created equal” to the truer perception that digital (textbook) content still has some growing up to do before it can replace the dead tree technology. 

People are catching on to the fact that you are not always “buying” an e-textbook.  You are typically paying to temporarily use the content license, or as Amazon.com calls it: a “Kindle Textbook Rental” (Kindle device-agnostic reader software + limited e-textbook license).  As Nicole Allen from Student PIRG puts it “add another layer to the publishers’ ability to rip students off”.

The value of renting traditional printed textbooks is being realized on almost every campus today in some fashion, while on a year ago there were only a few hundred schools that rented textbooks.  This is partly because of the value proposition is now being recognized by students, but also because the industry has found ways to make this new-ish model work.

So where is this all going to end up and when will the “tipping point” be reached where e-textbooks take over?  And will we all end up in the “the cloud” any time soon?  The answer depends upon who you talk to and at this point, it may still be too early to tell.  One crystal ball I looked into a few years ago told me that both the technology (reader, software, devices) and the content (digital or e-textbook) need to evolve before this happens. 

Although some progress has been made in both arenas, more still needs to happen before we will see anything like a perfect storm sweeping across our campuses.  All we can do is stay tuned and watch for the next big development.  With the pace of change we have seen recently, we may not have to wait long.

Written By Jeff Nelson, ICBA President