The CRC Bookstore will be going through some changes in future semesters. Visit this page to read the latest announcements.
December 1, 2025: Bookstore Update
A reminder that the CRC Bookstore will be there to serve our faculty and students throughout the Spring 2026 semester.
Faculty, please place your book orders for Spring through Follett and know that your students will be able to pick up books right here at our CRC campus.
Eventually we will be moving away from a physical space for our bookstore, but for the upcoming Spring 2026 semester, we have our same bookstore services.
Moving forward, only ARC and SCC will have brick and mortar bookstores. CRC and FLC will transition to an online bookstore for textbooks, classroom materials and promotional items beginning July 1, 2026, but all students districtwide will have access to the bookstores at our larger campuses.
As we stated in the September 22, 2025 Inside CRC issue, more students are taking classes online, and roughly 75% of CRC course sections are Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses which means only about 25% of CRC classes now require a traditional textbook (whether print or digital). As a result, bookstore sales have significantly declined, and it’s become clear that companies who operate in-person bookstores do not see a path to sustainability at campuses with a minimal number of traditional textbooks.
Please direct any questions to CRC Vice President of Administrative Services, Theresa Tena.
September 22, 2025: Bookstore Changes Coming Soon
The college bookstore is about to go through some big changes. A districtwide Request for Proposals (RFP’s) for Campus Store Retail Services was issued August 26. Faculty supplied invaluable feedback related to the course materials section of the RFP.
Moving forward, it’s likely that only ARC and SCC will have brick & mortar bookstores. CRC and FLC will likely transition to an online bookstore for textbooks, classroom materials and promotional items, but all students districtwide will have access to the bookstores at our larger campuses.
With more students taking classes online, and in large part because of our strong efforts to expand the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses, only about 25% of CRC classes now require a traditional textbook (whether print or digital). As a result, bookstore sales have significantly declined, and it’s become clear that companies who operate in-person bookstores (including to the bookstore consultant who has worked with CRC and the other Los Rios colleges for the past several years) may not see a path to sustainability at campuses with a minimal amount of traditional textbooks.
Make no mistake, the work to expand the use of OER/ZTC materials at CRC has been an incredibly positive transition for our students, saving approximately $13 million dollars over the last 3 years. Thank you to the outstanding CRC faculty and staff who have led this effort, truly positioning CRC as a national leader in affordability.
The college has until July 1, 2026 to have a new course materials delivery process in place, and we’ll be working with faculty leadership to ensure this transition is smooth.
Discussions are also beginning to determine how best to utilize the current bookstore space for student benefit in the future.
Please direct any questions to CRC Vice President of Administrative Services, Theresa Tena.