The days of spending 30 minutes to find your textbooks at the start of each semester are over.

Follett Higher Education Group, the largest college bookstore operator in North America, will be taking their partnership with the university further by managing textbook rental as well as the retail bookstore.

“The university has had a successful business relationship with Follett for years through its management of the University Bookstore,” said Robin Parker, director of marketing and strategic initiatives for Auxiliary Services. “Follett’s textbook rental system falls in line with the way the university has managed its own rental system since its inception in the 1930s. With the expanded partnership, Southeastern will be able to continue to offer its students one of the most successful and economical textbook rental programs in the country with a company that is known for its superior offerings in e-commerce, retail solutions and digital content.”

Follett will be adjusting the way books will be picked up. Students will no longer come in, print their list of required reading material from LeoNet and scout the aisles to find their books. 

“[Students] will receive an email when their order is ready for pickup. When they come in, their books will be boxed and ready to go,” said Parker. “They will just need to provide their student number and the order number from the email. Our goal is to have the majority of these completed before the holidays.”

To assist in the process, Follett will be hiring additional staff over the next few months. There will be morning and afternoon positions available, along with a handful of evening positions. Applications can be found at follett.com. Newly hired staff members will start the first week of December.

The goal of Follett is to make this aspect of college life easier and more efficient.

According to the Follett website, “Follett has been a trusted partner to pre-K and K-12 schools, districts and college campuses for more than 140 years, taking care of the critical details that make it easier for schools to run, teachers to teach and students to learn. We’re more than just a book company, we’re a gateway to knowledge—harnessing our insights to help improve student outcomes and shape the future of education as we know it.”

Follett.com lists a number of potential employment benefits: however, as per the website, “Benefits eligibility depends on employment status, location and other variables.”

Textbook rental hours are currently set from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday through Thursday and from 7 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Extended hours will be offered during the first week of school. 

Students can like the Facebook page to stay updated on store times and processes at facebook.com/southeasternbookstore. For more information on the expanding partnership, go to Textbook Rental on North Campus.