Oneonta Auxiliary Services (OAS), the not-for-profit corporation that provides dining, bookstore, vending, and other services for the SUNY College at Oneonta, has signed an agreement with Damascene Book Cellar to co-manage textbook operations for the Red Dragon Bookstore at SUNY Oneonta. The collaboration is expected to enable the bookstore to continue providing excellent services for the campus community, contain costs for students, and add the professional expertise of Damascene in the rapidly changing college-textbook market.
Dan Birnbaum, a 1984 SUNY Oneonta alumnus and a partner at Damascene Book Cellar, began co-managing the textbook operations of the Red Dragon Bookstore on August 9. He will continue to work in that capacity for the remainder of the fall semester. His efforts will ensure a smooth transition into an anticipated five-year contract with Damascene to assume responsibility for all textbook services at the Red Dragon Bookstore in the spring semester.
OAS will continue to manage the sales of other merchandise offered at the Red Dragon Bookstore, such as college memorabilia, electronics, gifts, and apparel. Damascene will be responsible for textbook operations only.
Diane Williams, Executive Director of Oneonta Auxiliary Services, commented on the new collaboration between OAS and Damascene: “We are delighted to have an opportunity to work with Dan Birnbaum. In doing so, we are confident that we will be able to contain the rising cost of textbooks and provide excellent customer service. We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to collaborate with a local business and especially a SUNY Oneonta alumnus.”