There was anger, shock, sadness and disbelief. Reactions to the Otago University Students’ Association’s (OUSA) downsizing of the University Book Shop (UBS) were strong at a public meeting in Dunedin on Thursday night. But above all the other emotions, there was an overwhelming desire from more than 100 people at the meeting to stop any diminution of what is one of the city’s greatest jewels. The Otago Daily Times understands UBS will be moved from its present location in Great King St in the coming weeks to a smaller on-campus location in Cumberland St where it will focus on selling textbooks. It is believed some staff will lose their jobs in the process. The OUSA has said the change is designed to ensure the store’s services remain sustainable and allow it to focus more on student needs. Organisers of the public meeting at the Dunedin Athenaeum said the gathering was planned following the “huge public outcry” in response to the announcement. It aimed to give Dunedin residents and students an opportunity to voice their support for the continuation of UBS and express how vital UBS was as a place where people from all generations in the community could interact with others in Dunedin, Otago and further afield. © Allied MediaDunedin author Philip Temple addresses a public meeting at the Dunedin Athenaeum Library, last night. Photo: Linda Robertson Dunedin author Dr Philip Temple and Dunedin writer Fiona Farrell gave short talks about the situation before opening the room to comments from the floor. Several UBS staff members attended the meeting and said how grateful they were for the community’s support. They also clarified the decision to downsize UBS was made by the OUSA chief executive, not the students. One person said the University of Otago’s executive level managers were looking at ways to save UBS. Several others alleged the bookshop was poorly managed, and questioned whether it was sensible for a business to be managed by a student organisation. There were also questions about why UBS was “failing” when many other book stores around the country were doing so well. Some believed it was because the past two managers were salespeople, rather than book-lovers. As a result of the meeting, a working group of relevantly skilled people has been established to liaise with the University of Otago, the Dunedin City Council, local MPs and appropriate government ministers about the situation. Local lawyers and accountants around the city had been canvassed to see if they would help save the bookshop, and several had confirmed they would. A student group would also be established to work alongside the working group. john.lewis@odt.co.nz
