The Co-Op Bookstore at the University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario in Canada) is a student owned and controlled cooperative, committed to upholding and promoting the seven principles of cooperation in all that we do. The bookstore is dedicated to:
• To serve the best interests of the membership by operating effectively in areas significant to student life.
• To acknowledge and support the active contributions students have made, and will continue to make, within our community.
• To cultivate student leadership, participation, empowerment, self-sufficiency, and responsibility.
The student co-op was created on November 26, 1913 by seven students from Guelph and Wellington County. Its main purpose was to provide a cost-effective and structured business on-campus that would sell students their textbooks and supplies. As the only other bookstore was downtown, the co-op provided a valuable service.
Membership also meant ownership. The board of directors, elected from the student community and co-op alumni, ensured the co-op’s continued success from year to year. This experimental model of a co-op, as first envisaged by H.H. LeDrew, provided a viable alternative to the traditional way of doing business.
About Cooperatives and .coop
The global Cooperative community has more than 1 billion members, representing 12% of the world’s employed population. All Cooperatives verify their identity when selecting a .coop web address. Your unique business identity is recognized online with a .coop domain name – your digital brand – a brand known for its economic advantages to its community, consumers, and members.
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