Autumn 2009: Of Note

Artist rendering of new bookstore's Oxford road frontage

Courtesy Emory University

Buy the Book

New bookstore promises to become a community hub

Next year, a new, three-story building on Oxford Road will carry a familiar name: Barnes and Noble. The collegiate branch of the country’s largest bookseller will take over Emory’s bookstore operations this fall, and the new bookstore complex is expected to be complete in spring 2010. Plans include the nation’s largest Starbucks Cafe on a college campus, outdoor seating, and a “green roof” promenade over the new parking deck. The undergraduate Office of Admission will be housed there as well.

With twenty-nine thousand square feet and forty thousand book titles, the sweeping new space is sure to become a community center for the Emory campus and beyond. The bookstore will house the largest academic bookstore selection in the Southeast, according to Provost Earl Lewis. The bookstores now in Dobbs University Center and the School of Medicine will be incorporated into the new facility.

“As Emory looks ahead to its new bookstore complex, we intend to add titles, extend operating hours, and explore new ways to improve customer service,” says John Ford, dean of campus life. “We look forward to working in tandem with Barnes and Noble as we improve the overall customer experience for faculty and students, as well as the greater Emory community.”

Barnes and Noble College Booksellers operates stores on more than thirty campuses, including Georgia Tech’s bookstore in midtown Atlanta.