Lunch and Learn Preview: A Q&A with Eileen Dengler and Kit Little, PBS
It is no exaggeration to say that The Professional Booksellers School (PBS) is changing the face of independent bookselling. Eileen Dengler, president of PBS and recently retired executive director of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, and Kit Little, an instructor and dean of independent study, will both be at SIBA’s upcoming Lunch and Learn program for PBS on September 9 at 12:00 noon, Eastern, on Zoom. They will talk about the purpose of PBS, how it helps bookstores and booksellers, and be available to answer questions.
The SIBA staff sat down with Eileen and Kit to talk about some of the background of PBS, and what it has meant for booksellers who went through the program.
SIBA: Why was PBS created?
Eileen: There has been a need for deeper, longer, better training and understanding of how to operate and manage a bookstore in all its facets. This is a complicated business, and most people open or begin working in a bookstore without any idea of the complexity of the industry or the nuances to all that is involved. To be successful, we need comprehensive training. That is PBS.
SIBA: How many booksellers have taken PBS courses? How many are certified?
Kit: 1,019 bookstores have enrolled a total of 1,312 students who have taken classes through PBS. 943 have enrolled in full courses. 496 booksellers have become certified in at least one core specialty (Basic Bookselling, Event Management, Inventory Management, or Store & Operations Management). There are eight fully certified professional booksellers—students who have successfully completed all four of those core classes.
SIBA: What are some of the most common reasons booksellers come to PBS? What goals do they have?
Eileen:
Opening a store
Training frontline booksellers
Starting or expanding an event program
Enhancing inventory management
Understanding and managing bookstore finances
Increasing profitability
Seeking in-depth, detailed education on marketing, displays, financial management, time management, and more
SIBA: What are some of the most important challenges you think booksellers are facing? How does PBS help to meet those challenges?
Kit: Too often, booksellers, new and experienced, from all types of models and store/staff sizes, are trying to create things from scratch to solve common problems when there are booksellers that have already developed tried-and-true solutions. PBS brings those successful problem-solvers and their strategies together and creates a space where they can share expertise and help others avoid years of trial & error and sometimes costly mistakes. Content is offered via both live courses and independent study, so students can learn on their own timetable. We also make individual classes available for those who just need to learn a very specific skill.
SIBA: Are there PBS graduate success stories you want to share?
Kit: There are many! Some of the highlights include:
- Booksellers who took the recent profitability course, which is taught in an interactive workshop format, reported immediate decreases in expenses and increases in profit.
- Certified booksellers are being promoted within their own stores based on their certifications, and those who have to relocate are finding positions at new stores because of their certified skill sets.
- Owners who have completed multiple courses have been able to expand and even open additional locations.
- Event programs begin or grow in ways that strengthen community ties, open or enhance publisher relations, and become effective, profitable revenue streams.
Stores that subscribe to our basic bookselling class are able to provide every single store employee with education that gives a comprehensive overview of our industry, as well as very specific skills needed to be an effective and successful frontline bookseller. They report that subscribing to this course is an investment in their staff, creates an understanding that frontline bookselling is a profession, and booksellers are acquiring knowledge and skills in a very efficient way that reduces the time and typical expense to train without it.
Eileen: The faculty and staff of the Professional Booksellers School lean into the unique nature of bookselling as a profession where, despite being competitors, we are also each other’s greatest allies and champions. We are here to help you succeed as each one of us strengthens our industry as a whole.