Navigating the Boston College Bookstore: Hours, Resources, and More

Boston College provides a comprehensive range of resources and services for its employees, faculty, students, and visitors. Among these resources, the Boston College Bookstores stand out as key locations for academic materials, BC-branded merchandise, and other essential supplies. This article delves into the details of the Boston College Bookstores, including their locations, offerings, and the benefits they provide to the BC community, while also touching upon other valuable resources available to Boston College employees.

Boston College Bookstores: Locations and Offerings

The Boston College Bookstores are essential hubs for students and employees alike. They provide access to required texts, general books, educational materials, and a variety of other items. For those looking to show their school spirit, the bookstores also offer a wide selection of Boston College clothing and gifts.

The Boston College Bookstores have multiple locations:

Chestnut Hill Campus Bookstore: Located in McElroy Commons.
Hillside Shop: Situated in Maloney Hall.
Newton Campus Bookstore: Found in Stuart House.

University employees enjoy a 20% discount on clothing, gifts, school supplies, stationery, and general books at these locations.

Other Essential Resources for Boston College Employees

Beyond the bookstores, Boston College offers a wide array of resources and services to support its employees' professional and personal lives. These include dining services, library access, transportation assistance, and family support.

Dining Services

Boston College Dining Services provides employees with various dining options across campuses. On the Chestnut Hill Campus, options include Corcoran Commons, dining rooms, cafeterias, and fast-food concessions in McElroy Commons and Lyons Hall. The Newton Campus has dining facilities in Stuart House, and Café 129 on the Brighton Campus serves breakfast and lunch.

University Library System

The University library system offers extensive resources and services to support the teaching, research, and learning activities of Boston College faculty and students. All library facilities are open to Boston College employees. The library system comprises six major components:

The Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Library, which houses the bulk of the collections.
The Bapst Library, with a collection of resources in art and art history, and undergraduate and graduate student study areas.
The John J. Burns Library of Rare Books and Special Collections.

The Library houses over 1,200,000 printed, catalogued volumes; two million microform units; over 100,000 government documents; and more than 15,000 audiovisual materials; as well as numerous periodicals and maps. Access to the collections is provided by an online catalog that may be searched from the public terminals in each library. Additional library services and facilities available to the Boston College community are reference services, circulation and reserves, interlibrary loan, copy services, computer-assisted research, and media preview rooms.

Transportation and Parking

Boston College offers several transportation and parking options for employees. A pass program is available to employees who commute to work via MBTA on a regular basis. Based upon the specific route, frequency, and type of travel involved, a choice of different monthly passes is offered. MBTA passes are sold on a monthly or weekly basis. Parking is available on the Chestnut Hill, Newton, and Brighton Campuses. Faculty and staff using a vehicle to come to the University are required to register their vehicle with the Office of Student Services and affix a valid parking permit. Employees may purchase a reserved parking “R” permit, allowing them to park in certain reserved areas on campus. Employees with a state disabled parking placard and a BC Permit may park in accessible spaces located within the parking lots assigned by their specific parking permit type.

Family Support

Boston College supports its employees with family-oriented services, including the Boston College Children's Center, which provides pre-school and extended daycare for children between two years, nine months, and five years. The program runs from September through June, with a separate program extending through the summer months. Available spaces are divided proportionately among employee groups and graduate students. Parents pay tuition to meet the operational expenses of the Center; limited tuition subsidies are available to employees who meet income criteria established by the Children's Center. The Center is located behind Haley House near the Chestnut Hill Campus.

Recreation and Wellness

Campus Recreation facilities and programs are available to all Boston College employees. Employees may use both the Margot Connell Recreation Center and Quonset Hut (satellite facility on Newton Campus) by either purchasing a membership or paying for a day pass. Memberships can be purchased annually, each semester, monthly, or for the summer. Spouses of employees may purchase individual memberships for any period by presenting their official Boston College spouse ID card. Family memberships are available only during the summer. The Margot Connell Recreation Center includes a fitness center, rock climbing wall, jogging track, aquatics center, wood-floor basketball courts, tennis courts, multi-activity courts, multi-purpose rooms for spin, yoga, and fitness classes, and more.

Financial Services

Automated teller machines which are part of the Bank of America system are located near the lower foyer of McElroy Commons, outside the main entrance to Walsh Hall, and on the first floor of Stuart House on the Newton Campus. Employees are eligible to join the Credit Union at any time for the purpose of saving through payroll contributions.

Housing Assistance

The Off-Campus Housing Office, located in Maloney Hall, serves as an information and referral center for employees, faculty, students, and alumni in need of local housing. Listings include individuals seeking roommates, landlords who have apartments or houses for rent or sale, and homeowners with rooms for rent. Detailed computer listings are updated daily and printed biweekly.

Additional Services

There are a number of individuals throughout the Boston College campus who have been commissioned as notaries public.

Commitment to Community and Safety

Boston College is committed to fostering a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive campus environment. The Office of the Vice President for Human Resources is dedicated to upholding the dignity of every individual, grounded in the Jesuit Catholic heritage of the institution.

Read also: History of the BU Bridge

Community Engagement

Boston College Community Engagement Groups are volunteer, employee-managed groups that promote the interests of their respective constituencies. The Church in the 21st Century (C21) Center at Boston College serves as a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States.

Spiritual Life

The Jesuit Community of Boston College offers faculty and staff various vehicles for deepening their spiritual lives. Programs include weekend retreats and individual spiritual counseling, as well as daily liturgies in St. Mary's Chapel. The offices within the Division of Mission and Ministry work together to help foster a culture of formation among the faculty, administration, staff, and students.

Safety and Security

The mission of the Boston College Police Department is to assure the safety and security of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Department also works with University personnel and departments to protect their assets and strives to improve community life by providing crime prevention education. The BCPD, located in Maloney Hall, is fully operational 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and remains operational during major emergencies, including those involving loss of electrical power and telecommunications. The Police Department may be reached by telephone at 617-552-4440. Emergency intercoms, identified by blue lights, are located at various sites on campus, connecting the caller directly with the BCPD and enabling the Police to respond immediately to the scene of the call.

Boston College complies with the Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act of 1990. The University disseminates annually its Campus Safety and Security Program to all faculty, staff, and students. In the interest of campus safety and security, Boston College will notify the University community of all crimes considered to pose a threat to its members that are perpetrated on the Boston College campus and reported to campus security authorities or local police agencies. Safety notifications will be disseminated in a manner that is timely, that aids the prevention of similar occurrences, and that protects the privacy of the victims of such incidents. The responsibility for issuing a Safety Notice resides with the Financial Vice President. The Notices are hand delivered by the Boston College Police to a designated person in each building on campus; this person disseminates them to each office within his/her building for posting.

Employee Benefits

Employees may purchase tickets to home football, basketball, and hockey games at a discount.

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