Barnes & Noble College To Manage MGA Bookstore Operations

Author: News Bureau
Posted: Thursday, June 15, 2023 12:00 AM
Category: Pressroom

Macon, GA

Placeholder

Middle Georgia State University has signed an agreement with Barnes & Noble College (BNC) to be the new contract operator for the MGA Bookstore.

BNC, a Barnes & Noble Education company, will take over on-site retail and online operations as of July 1, 2023, under a five-year contract. BNC operates more than 770 campus bookstores and school-branded e-commerce sites, serving more than six million college students and faculty nationwide.

In addition to online operations, MGA hosts on-site bookstore locations at the University’s Macon, Cochran, Eastman, and Warner Robins campuses.

“We’re excited to partner with Barnes & Noble College as the preferred vendor to manage our bookstore operations,” said Millicent Parke, director of MGA’s Auxiliary Services department. “We are confident that BNC can excel in making sure our institution and our students can get the course materials, supplies, and general merchandise they need or want. In our six-month search for a vendor, BNC offered the best financial package to help support the operations, fund student scholarships, and boost auxiliary services.” 

Among other changes, BNC is expected to:

  • Increase services and merchandise offerings to allow for more selection for faculty and students.
  • Introduce a fully comprehensive textbook rental program, which will result in lower-priced options for students and give faculty flexibility in what materials they adopt to use in their courses.
  • Give faculty access to the market-leading BNC adoption and insights portal (AIP), which allows them to research and submit affordable course material selections.
  • Refresh and rebrand all bookstore locations, creating a different atmosphere at each site.

In addition to MGA as of July 1, BNC operates bookstore locations at these University System of Georgia institutions: Columbus State University, Georgia Tech, Georgia College & State University, Valdosta State University, Clayton State University, Georgia Gwinnett College, and University of North Georgia.

To prepare for the transition, MGA Bookstore locations will close on Thursday, June 29. They will reopen on Wednesday, July 12. Learn more about Barnes & Noble College at bncollege.com.