Twenty professors have complained to Associate Dean Gregory Maggs that the bookstore refuses to stock enough books for their students.  According to Maggs, he initially received two or three complaints, then contacted the faculty as a whole to ask if any other classes has a similar problem.  The book shortage has impacted at least twenty classes, with many students unable to do the required reading to participate in class discussion.

"The bookstore no longer wants to order enough books for the whole class," Maggs said, because the bookstore's management is concerned that many students will buy the books elsewhere.

Professor Richard J. Pierce, Jr. found the bookstore's flat refusal to provide enough texts for his students infuriating.  "It is my hope that Dean Maggs will devise a new system in which no GW law student will ever again be dependent on such an utterly unreliable supplier," Pierce said.  He described the bookstore's management as "utterly incompetent, irresponsible liars."

"Professor Pierce is very angry.  The bookstore really let him down," Maggs said, "[but] the bookstore has a legitimate concern."  Maggs emphasized that the law school has had a relationship with the bookstore for many years and would continue to do so, but that it may be time for the school to encourage students to consider other book suppliers.

The bookstore itself is not run by the university, but by the Follett Higher Education Group, under a contract with the university.  Maggs said that he has not yet met with anyone from the bookstore to discuss the issue.

Although ordering online saves students money, the books take time - sometimes weeks - to be delivered.  If students don't know what books are required ahead of time, or decide to add a class during the first weeks of class, the bookstore may be the most immediate way to obtain a book.  But when there aren't enough copies in stock, students can't do the required reading.

Bob Blake, Store Director of the GW bookstore, said that the problem was one of poor predictions.  "Our mission it to deliver the right books at the right time to all of the students of GW ... unfortunately, sometimes we do run out of quantities of certain titles based on course history and sell-thru," Blake said.  Blake added that the bookstore was always happy to order additional copies for students who requested them.

Eric Malis, an SBA Senator and a student in Pierce's antitrust class, plans to meet with Maggs to discuss ways to provide students with more options.  Malis first became involved with the issue after the shortage or Antitrust textbooks this semester, when Pierce raised the issue in class of whether the GW bookstore and Washington Law and Professional Books were colluding together to under-order books in violation of antitrust laws.  Malis said he wants to finds ways the SBA can support a more competitive marketplace that will "incentivize the bookstores to improve their service."

Maggs has begun meeting with the Records Office to see if they can provide textbook information to students earlier.  In the past, the law school has asked professors to provide textbook requirements to either the school or the bookstore, and many professors only provided the information directly to the bookstore.  Changing the system to track all of the required texts for every class will be a major change.

"It's not a simple problem because we're offering 501 courses and almost every one has a book assignment.  We have to be really careful not to give any student the wrong information," Maggs said.

A few of the sites selling new and used textbooks at a fraction of the bookstore's prices are Amazon.com, Half.com, abebooks.com, textbooks.com and Chegg.com.  Students can save money by planning ahead and ordering their books, either by look up the course books on the portal or contacting their professors for the reading list.