Before she went to the bookstore this year, Kelli Elijah did her

homework.

Elijah, sophomore in civil engineering, checked out the Campus

Book Store’s Web site, www.cbsames.com, to find out exactly

which books she needed and how much they cost.

Then she headed over to University Bookstore to see where she

could get the best deal.

“I didn’t have to go to class to know what books I needed,” she

said. “I could compare the prices.”

Lynette Seymour, general manager of University Bookstore, said

the store’s Web site, www.ubs.iastate.edu, saw traffic increase

each year since 1998.

The online option was first created to assist distance education

students and keep with the university’s tradition of being wired.

Now, as increasing numbers of students are getting connected to

the Web, some local students are skipping the visit to the

bookstore altogether.

“We’ve had 300 orders online, and most are people on campus,

so they want them delivered to Friley,” Seymour said.

The books are shipped via the U.S. Postal Service or UPS, but

most deliveries arrive by the following day, she said, making the

$4 fee worth the while – especially in the winter.

But Seymour doesn’t expect the store to become an online

business any time soon.

“I think the students like to come hang out and see who’s there,”

she said.

Although store officials have seen the success of Internet sales

firsthand, they aren’t intimidated by national online booksellers.

“So far, they’ve not proven to be [successful],” she said. “A lot of

businesses have gone under.”

Some of the sites still exist, but they no longer ask for text lists

from the school, she said.

Anna Plantenberg, sophomore in mechanical engineering, isn’t as

bold as her roommate, Elijah. She’s sticking to the tried and true

method – wait for the syllabus and do it yourself.

“I like to go to my classes and see what the professor wants,” she

said. “You probably have to use a credit card online, and I don’t

have a credit card.”