THE UST Publishing House reopened its bookstore in a new location at the Main Building on Oct. 14.
The bookstore was relocated to the old UST Post Office site across the Health Service. It used to share space with the “iCampus” store that sold Apple electronic products in the Main Building.
Asst. Prof. Benedict Parfan, deputy director of the UST Publishing House, said a physical bookstore was still needed in the digital age because most Filipinos still preferred hard copies over ebooks.
“Digital copies have never outsold physical copies as far as we are aware. In fact, several publishers tried going through ebook outfits, but the market just was not there,” Parfan told the Varsitarian.
Publishing House Director Asst. Prof. Ma. Ailil Alvarez said most of the deals the UST Publishing House had with ebook companies in the past decade either “folded up or did not return as much profit as they initially pitched.”
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the UST Publishing House sold books through e-commerce platforms. However, the processing and delivery of books took longer than buying copies in physical stores, Alvarez said.
“A physical space where you can touch the books and immerse yourself in the metaphoric abundance of words around kindred spirits is a whole experience altogether, which, we believe, many Filipinos are longing for after an extended period of isolation,” she said.
Alvarez said that the UST Publishing House Bookstore would eventually be rebranded to “1611: The UST Bookstore.”
UST Secretary General Fr. Louie Coronel, O.P. blessed the new store on Oct. 14. A.R. Acosta with reports from Jacqueline B. Martinez
