Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

SALISBURY —Rowan-Cabarrus Community College will launch an online bookstore just in time for the 2018 summer semester.

The college is partnering with Akademos, a leading provider of online college bookstore solutions that has provided students at more than 120 schools with low-cost textbook options and savings.

“We are pleased to be partnering with Akademos to launch a school-sanctioned virtual bookstore and marketplace,” said Janet Spriggs, chief operating officer at Rowan-Cabarrus. “This decision aligns with our strategic plan to provide our students with an affordable quality education and positions us to expand our offering of course material formats and purchase options.”

Starting April 2, students can shop for textbooks in new, used, rental and digital formats on any device using a custom-branded version of the mobile-optimized online bookstore. Books can be shipped directly to their homes.

Students will save an average of 60 percent on course materials when they use the online bookstore’s exclusive inventory of more than 100 million new and used textbooks. The online bookstore will be integrated with the college’s student information system to enable students to view required course materials and order books for an entire term in less than five minutes.

Another benefit is the ability for students to apply financial aid to any course material purchases and sell back textbooks using the online buyback program.

Rowan-Cabarrus will be able to further reduce course material costs through an adoption portal, which provides faculty with real-time prices of course materials in multiple formats, enabling them to select the most affordable, high-quality textbook options for students.

“We’re pleased to be working with Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. In our experience, more affordable and accessible textbooks drive bookstore utilization, which results in more prepared students and, as a result, overall success for the institution,” said John Squires, CEO of Akademos Inc.

While the college will not have an on-campus bookstore, the existing bookstore space will be repurposed as an on-campus spirit store selling Rowan-Cabarrus clothing, gear, school supplies, and snacks. The college hopes to open the spirit store sometime this summer.

For more information about Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, visit www.rccc.edu/apply or call 704-216-7222.

The college is now accepting applications for both summer and fall 2018 classes.