Barnes & Noble began in 1960 when founder Leonard Riggio started his bookselling career and eventually acquired the Barnes & Noble name, growing the company to include college bookstores. By 2009, Barnes & Noble had launched the Nook eReader and become a publicly traded company. The document then discusses challenges faced by Nook, strategies employed by Barnes & Noble including partnerships with Starbucks, and features of the new Nook NG product that aim to make it customizable, durable, and integrated with WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.