For Generation Z, the Scholastic Book Fair holds many great memories of childhood fun, so GCSU decided to bring it back.
The week of Sep. 15 – 19, Georgia College Student Engagement held the book fair in the Dunahoo Lounge from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Just like a normal elementary school book fair, they had a range of children’s books, toys, pens and pencils for sale.
“I was browsing around and saw the Diary of A Wimpy Kid series and it made me feel so nostalgic,” said Peyton Eley, a senior business management major. “I used to love those books so much.”
Not only was the book fair to bring back nostalgic memories for college students, but for the students in Baldwin County schools to come with their families as well.
“As a team we were able to set the book fair up and prepared to open on Monday at 10 a.m.,” said Sara Goodleman, the Student Engagement Program Coordinator at GCSU. “The students were the ones who helped decide the layout, traffic pattern and check out process to have an easy flow for people who visited the book fair.”
According to Goodleman, the book fair event also collaborated with Communities In Schools, donating all funds to them.
CIS of Milledgeville/Baldwin County is a local affiliate of a national nonprofit organization. For the 2024-2025 school year, GCSU had a presence in all of the public schools in Baldwin County, serving grades kindergarten through 12th grade.
“We are unique in that we are the only CIS affiliate that is embedded within a university,” Goodleman said. “We primarily focus on literacy support and basic needs to enable students to focus on their education.”
GCSU Student Engagement thought the event could be a much needed for college students to have a mental break.
“Seeing the college students attend the book fair allowed them to step out of whatever stressor they were feeling and just be brought back to a time where education was not so stressful,” Goodleman said.
The book fair got much attention on social media which drew in a lot of people. Some, though, had too busy of a week to stop by.
“I occasionally bought books but I was always jealous of the kids who got the cool toys and things,” said Patricia Dowling, a sophomore psychology major. “I was curious about the GCSU book fair and would’ve gone if I had time, but it didn’t work out.”
Some students even went not for themselves, but for family.
“I did buy two books, but sadly neither of them were for me – they were both kid’s books to put up until Christmas for my family,” Eley said.
Many students have made it known that the Scholastic Book Fair should be a staple at the school from here on out.
“I think this would be such a good addition to the list of events going on around campus throughout the year,” Eley said.
Student Engagement noted that the book fair was a huge success, and is an event they would like to continue hosting as the years go on.