By Amorie Sheen
Students have another opportunity to get more money for their textbooks if the BYU Bookstore can’t give them what they want.
BYUSA’s design and technology department is sponsoring an online book exchange through their Hub web site at http://hub.byu.edu.
John Gambee, vice president of BYUSA design and technology, said the book exchange site was officially launched Dec. 5 for students to post the books they would like to sell.
Students will not be allowed to buy books from the site until Jan. 2, Gambee said.
This will allow the book exchange database to be filled some so students can find the books they are looking for when it comes time to buy.
Matt Jaynes, executive director of technology for BYUSA and programmer for the online book exchange, said the book exchange has had an interesting history.
It started as a BYUSA program where students would bring their used books to the Garden Court on a specific day, he said.
When the books were purchased by other students, BYUSA would give the original owner the money earned in the sale.
An online version of the exchange was launched previously, but did not have much success, so this is another try, Jaynes said.
Jaynes said the bookstore supports the online book exchange.
Brent Laker, assistant director of the BYU Bookstore, said the Bookstore does not view the online book exchange as competition and the Bookstore is in full support of the exchange.
“It will be nice to have someplace to refer the students when the Bookstore can’t help,” Laker said.
Laker said he hopes students will go to the Bookstore first and then to the exchange if the Bookstore’s buyback price does not satisfy them.
BYUSA sent a bulk e-mail to all BYU students and 24 hours after the e-mail was sent the site had received about 12,000 hits, Gambee said.
Erich Pletsch, programmer for the online book exchange, said the site is secure and students should not worry about their information being stolen or changed.
Pletsch said students must enter their route Y information to gain access to the secure portions of the site where they post information, buy online or update information.
Pletsch said he volunteers his time because he can see a need for the services.
“It’s nice to have to opportunity to serve,” Pletsch said. “We’re doing it because it needs to be done.”
