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From board games to marine conservation, there are hundreds of organizations students can get involved with at UC San Diego. In this ongoing series we’ll shine a light on a few of them. See who’s in the spotlight this time.

Tucked away in the old Student Center near the General Store and the Food Co-op lies the Groundwork Books Collective, the campus’s only cooperatively managed bookstore and one of three volunteer worker collectives. Framed by bookshelves and posters outside, the entrance appears non-descript at first. Inside, however, a warm, welcoming community and a treasure trove of books, board games and comfortable seating awaits. 

“We want all human beings at UC San Diego to have a third place to stay and relax rather than their homes or a place of commerce,” said a Groundwork representative who wished to remain anonymous, explaining Groundwork is meant to be a place where you can spend time without needing to spend money to be there. “We try to act as a community space for the region and as an organizing space.”

Behind Groundwork: Backstory and Beliefs

Originally created to provide a community hub and resource base for student activists and community organizers, Groundwork is based on principles of democracy, equality and anticapitalism to combat social hierarchies. The collective is a fully functional bookstore that provides literature on topics ranging from social justice movements to critical histories to political theory and philosophy; they also stock indie publications, zines and more for students to peruse. And, through the Community Restock initiative, Groundwork will order any book they don’t carry specially for you.