The Loyola bookstore pledges on their Web site to distribute the most competitively-priced books to students. However, there’s some new competition that might be hard to top.

A new alternative to the Loyola bookstore is a recently created student-run Web site called Loomagoo.

The idea was born during the Hurricane Gustav evacuation when Loyola students Andy Beal, marketing senior, Don Shaw, history junior, and Chris Zimny, finance senior, were thinking of a way to cut costs while driving to Austin, Texas. The three students did not budget for an evacuation, and their book money was spent elsewhere.

Loomagoo is a peer-to-peer market where ads for used books, notes, study guides and other classroom material can be posted for sale or trade.

Beal, Shaw and Zimny created Loomagoo “to build upon a student social network by creating a new online community,” Beal said.

The site went live around Thanksgiving and was perfected for the spring semester with over 150 current users, Beal said.

A recent iPod giveaway has attracted more students to the site resulting in an increase in postings.

“Professors support the posting of books and notes as a better way for Loyola students to share information and connect with each other,” Shaw said.

A random search of three textbooks reveals a savings of $129.25 compared with the bookstore used price.

Loomagoo has grown large enough to sponsor a “Throwback Night” at Republic Jan. 23 as well as a city-wide book drive Feb. 1 to benefit local public schools.

As Loomagoo lays their foundation at Loyola, more schools will be added to the site for more collaboration, Beal said.

Jordan Deshotels can be reached at [email protected].