After Wallace’s Bookstores went bankrupt earlier this year, several national bookstore chains, including Follett, Barnes and Noble and Texas Book Company, have started placing bids for control of the Wallace’s college stores. Mike Davis, director of purchasing, said it looks as though Barnes and Noble may be the leading contender for this bids. This means that Nicholls may get a Barnes and Noble on campus.

The University may know whether or not Barnes and Noble will place the winning bid within a week, he said.

“I’ve been to Cincinnatti and Kentucky several times to negotiate the contract,” he said. “Barnes and Noble offers the best situation.”

Some of the things Barnes and Noble offered are renovations, guaranteed payments, technical advancements and everything in the original request for proposals.

Davis said the University, along with Northwestern State University and Southern University, has contracted a bankruptcy lawyer .

“Bill Steffers is a bankruptcy attorney who is very knowledgeable and has managed to help quite a bit,” he said. “We don’t know how much we’ll get out (of the bankruptcy), but he’s working on it.”

Davis said a federal bankruptcy judge in Lexington, Ky., has to approve everything related to the case before action can be taken.

“The judge has sped up some aspects so that the schools can all carry on with book buybacks and summer school,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that we agreed to the lease with them. It is my belief that someone (with Wallace’s) knew what was going on with their troubles , but they kept it a secret. And then two months later, they went under.

“We’re working as quickly as possible (to get a new bookstore management) so that we can have a smooth book buyback. We’re hoping that Barnes and Noble will handle it this semester.”

He said everything should go as planned, and that there will be books available for summer classes and that the book buyback should work as well.