OCC bookstore closed for business

Deirdre Newman

The departure of the manager of the Orange Coast College bookstore

kept the facility closed for the second day today.

Mark Freed resigned on Nov. 6 because his vision for how the

bookstore should operate didn’t mesh with the administration’s, said

Jim McIlwain, vice president of administrative services. Freed was

unavailable for comment.

The closure is necessary to do a complete inventory of all the

books, both on the shelves and in the warehouse, especially since

store staff ordered too much during the last school year, McIlwain

said.

“We want to find out exactly what we have, what condition it is

in, what needs to be returned and what needs to be kept,” McIlwain

said.

Joan Bush, who worked in the store for 20 years, was plucked from

retirement to manage in the interim. The closure will also give Bush

time to be trained on the computer system, McIlwain said.

No students have made any comments about the bookstore being

closed, McIlwain said.

Since the semester is winding down, there is not a great demand

for textbooks, and staff have stocked extra test-taking supplies at

the snack bar, McIlwain added.