‘Like a cup of cold sick with a chaser of sour disappointment’: shock and sadness over University Book Shop downsizing

Dunedin authors have decried a decision to downsize the University Book Shop with one saying it will go down like a cup of cold sick “with a chaser of sour disappointment”. Another Dunedin novelist described it as “a disaster for New Zealand authors”. But the Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA), which owns the bookstore, said the business had faced financial challenges for years and was no longer sustainable in its current form. OUSA announced last week the University Book Shop (UBS) would be relocating from Great King St to a smaller, “student-focused on-campus store”, in Cumberland St, over the coming weeks. The relocation reflected changing retail conditions, including increased operating costs and changing consumer behaviour, and supported a focus on affordability, accessibility and student-centred services, OUSA said. The Otago Daily Times understands the new location will be focused on selling textbooks and that some staff are set to lose their jobs. Dunedin novelist and poet Emma Neale expected the changes would go down with customers, “initially, like a cup of cold sick, with a chaser of sour disappointment”. “It is dismaying and it has sent shock waves through the local education and literary community, and the wider city, which is full of readers from all walks of life,” Neale said. “I really feel for the staff in this situation.” It seemed to have blindsided everyone. Books directly fuelled and fostered education in many, if not all, academic disciplines. The changes would deprive students of easy, campus-proximate access “to the serendipity of browsing in a bookstore and stumbling on a genuinely diverse range of books that could, in all seriousness, change their lives,” she said. At least two other major independent bookstores in New Zealand had expanded their physical spaces recently, despite economic pressures. “If OUSA management had the will, and the love of books, there must surely have been a way to preserve the (nationally) renowned UBS character.” Dunedin author Laurence Fearnley said the changes were “a bit of a disaster for New Zealand authors”. Her books tended to be sold at independent bookstores, such as UBS, with committed staff who knew their stock well and could point people in the right direction. “It’s really hard being an author in New Zealand,” Fearnley said. “There’s not huge sales, and it’s very competitive, so any help is really appreciated and we’re going to be losing that.” For many people, UBS was a destination bookstore where you could discover niche books. “It’s the kind of place where you could browse and come across something unexpected that you didn’t know that you wanted to read. “I think for people who like physical books, who can afford physical books, it will be a real loss.” Dunedin author Wendy Parkins said the OUSA’s decision failed to recognise the importance of UBS in the wider cultural life of Dunedin. It was hard to overestimate how important it was to locals. “It is unfathomable to me that the premier bookshop in a Unesco City of Literature cannot be prioritised as an invaluable resource in the city.” Dr Parkins, who is also the Otago Southland branch chairperson of the New Zealand Society of Authors, said she had heard from other writers there was a great deal of distress and anger at the news. She urged OUSA to re-consider “this wrong-headed decision” before it was too late. “It is baffling to me that our best bookshop in a City of Literature is ‘downgrading’ in this way.” OUSA president Daniel Leamy acknowledged the changes to UBS were distressing for many in Dunedin’s literary community. “UBS has faced sustained financial challenges for several years, and the current retail environment, shaped by changing consumer behaviour and the cost-of-living crisis, has made the existing model unsustainable,” Mr Leamy said. “As a student association and charity, OUSA is not in a position to financially subsidise a general bookshop. “Similar pressures have led other student associations around the country to close or significantly reduce their bookshop operations.” OUSA’s responsibility was to students, and it remained committed to providing textbooks, stationery, and essential academic resources through the bookstore’s on‑campus presence, he said. tim.scott@odt.co.nz

‘Like a cup of cold sick with a chaser of sour disappointment’: shock and sadness over University Book Shop downsizing

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