Ben Smidt

Procedures at the University Bookstore were improved to increase efficiency at the register and decrease the hassles involved in getting books for class.

This year students did not have to face the long lines and the problems at the registers that plagued last year’s book-rental period.

The bookstore made some changes to its book rental protocols. Mark Bensing, regional manager of Barnes and Noble booksellers for this area, said he believes the new protocols are responsible for the drastically shorter lines and faster check-out times.

The change that is most obvious to patrons of the store when they first walk in is the increased number of checkouts. Last year only 10 registers were open, and this year 23 registers are in place, Bensing said.

Lines were noticably smaller for cashier Ruthann Johnson. Early on, the number of people waiting was kept to a minimum.

But as the first day of classes approached, the lines bulked up and became crowded yet again. However, the improvements allowed faster check out time for many.

“The lines were short; it only took me 10 minutes to get my books,” said sophomore Jesse Wellhoeffer.

Along with the additional cashiers, Barnes & Noble wanted to stress the convenience of the pre-pack program.

Students have the option of requesting that their books be set aside in a box so they can pick them up and not get crowded in the stacks with the other students while trying to find the right textbook.

This program was an option since Barnes & Noble took over the operations at the bookstore last year, but many students weren’t aware of it or chose not to utilize it in the past.

About 2,300 students took advantage of the pre-pack program this semester, Bensing said. The program not only reduced the wait in lines, but it also helped detect books that could produce scanning problems similar to last year that slowed business down, Bensing said.

The pre-packs were scanned through the system two weeks before students were moving into the residence halls. This gave the employees plenty of time to get the problems taken care of before the rush of underclassmen came in to get books on the last days of August.