For Jessica Carlsen, director of the CU Boulder Book Store, there鈥檚 a particular moment that stands out from the busy weeks of this year鈥檚 start-of-semester rush. A student approached her and said, 鈥淚鈥檓 back!鈥�
Carlsen didn鈥檛 immediately recognize the student. 鈥淗e went on to explain that he missed coming to the bookstore last year,鈥� Carlsen said. 鈥淗e was just happy to see the store open again like normal.鈥�
While most of the CU Book Store鈥檚 operations continued remotely last year, Carlsen agreed that something important was missing.
鈥淭he big takeaway for me is that everyone鈥攐ur staff, parents, students, alums and faculty鈥攈as missed the connection to campus, to each other, and to simple traditions like coming to the bookstore to pick up supplies,鈥� she said.
It was an all-hands-on-deck approach when operations restarted, with the bookstore鈥檚 entire staff鈥撯�搃ncluding accountants and human resources and IT staff鈥撯�揳ssisting students and families on the retail floor. Despite the rush, Carlsen said the vibe was positive.
鈥淟ast year, shopping for anything in person was hectic and created some significant feelings of panic. This year, students and families were having fun shopping again, and it was amazing to be there with them,鈥� Carlsen said.
While no aspect of the campus was left untouched by the pandemic, auxiliary offices such as Housing and Dining, Athletics, Parking Services and the bookstore were hit especially hard by campus closures. Even during remote campus operations, however, bookstore staff worked to help students return books and order different supplies for remote learning.
This year, the prospects for the CU Book Store are looking up. But for Carlsen, the bookstore鈥檚 financial health is adjacent to its true purpose.
鈥淣o matter what鈥檚 going on,鈥� 聽she said, 鈥渨hether it鈥檚 a good year or a bad year for the store, our mission is the same: We are here to ensure our students have what they need to be successful.鈥�