As many of you may know, Borders Group filed for bankruptcy several months ago amid declining sales, increasing competition and the rise of e-readers. Bankruptcy can be recovered from, but not in the case of Borders. Several weeks ago, the potential purchaser of Borders backed out, forcing a liquidation of the company. The immediate impact on a national scale means 11,000 people out of a job, and one less chain of bookstores in the country.

However, on a local scale, the closing of Borders in Ames leaves a thriving community and a vibrant college town without a large-scale bookstore. There is one independent bookstore still left in Ames, Firehouse Books, located downtown on Kellogg Street, but the closing of Borders brings about a significant loss of atmosphere in a college town like Ames.

Not only does this closing lose both current and potential jobs in this local market, but the absence of a brick-and-mortar store also means that the City of Ames loses out on tax revenue that is much needed. Also, let us not forget that Ames has already seen the closings of three chain book stores in addition to Firehouse Books. Waldenbooks and Hastings also had stores in Ames, which led to increased variety, atmosphere and selection — all of which are important in a college town.

The lack of a bookstore in a center of learning such as Ames is troubling because the purpose of a liberal education is to have a vast array of information at the ready for you to harness. Likewise, the closing of three bookstores over a time span of a couple of years is an ominous sign of what is to come.

The rise of eReaders, in this author’s opinion, is also foreboding, as many people feel no need to go into bookstores anymore to find books to read. The spark of discovering a new book in a store is replaced by a random search of a catalogue of titles on a screen. This could lead to the closing of more and more chains, until either one chain reigns supreme, or we are left only with buying books online.

A city like Ames, left with no bookstore, is a perfect market for a new one to crop up. A population hungry to read and a vacuum left by the departure of Borders could see a successful bookstore take its place.