Continuing its traditional role of selling print and digital content, the refurbishment extends the services provided by the Bookshop for those within UNSW and the broader community.
The 430 square metre store is situated in the heart of UNSW’s Kensington campus and includes a new central room for events, a reading room, and a café with indoor and outdoor seating space for 40 patrons.
The refurbishment will support an expanded events program including book launches and talks from top Australian and international authors and performers, book clubs, student events and book readings for children.
UNSW President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Jacobs said: “I am delighted that our UNSW Bookshop has been refurbished and expanded. A love of books, reading and writing is a feature of our university community and we undertook the refurbishment to create a welcoming and stimulating environment.
“It is my hope that the Bookshop will become an important focus of campus life, bringing staff, students and visitors together to explore the books and meet in the new coffee shop.”
The independently-run Bookshop is managed by UNSW Press Ltd, a company owned by UNSW. UNSW Press is the only university press in Australia that manages a bookshop.
“In a world where digital retail has disrupted the traditional bricks and mortar model, bookstores are no longer simply about the stock they carry,” Kathy Bail, UNSW Press CEO, said. “By creating a new community hub, the reinvigoration of the Bookshop offers benefits to customers that extend far beyond the products we sell.”
The independently-operated Atomic Press Café integrated within the Bookshop is open seven days a week. It serves a range of seasonal meals and baked goods, with coffee from artisanal roaster, Atomic Coffee Roasters. This will be the New Zealand company’s first retail presence in Australia.
The Bookshop will continue to sell a wide range of both general and educational books, course materials and UNSW-branded merchandise. It will also provide a targeted selection of the best books available globally and innovative gifts and cards. Its stock ranges from fiction and non-fiction to children’s books, illustrated art, design, architecture, food and travel books.
UNSW Bookshop won the Campus Bookseller of the Year Award in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and was runner-up in 2015.
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