Barnes & Noble Earns Top Marks in 2009 Corporate Equality Index

Michelle Smith, vice president of Human Resources for Barnes & Noble, Inc. stated, "We are proud to be recognized by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Barnes & Noble was one of the first retailers to offer domestic partner benefits to our booksellers more than 13 years ago. Today, we pride ourselves in attracting the best and most diverse talents and will continue to offer and expand such benefits to our more than 40,000 booksellers. Our stores are not only a place where our dedicated booksellers can grow and prosper, but also community centers that provide valuable resources to our customers. We offer a wide selection of books, music, DVDs and other merchandise, as well as host more than 100,000 community events nationwide that support and reflect the diversity of the communities that we serve."

The CEI rated 583 businesses in total, evaluating LGBT-related policies and practices including non-discrimination policies, transgender health benefits and domestic partner benefits. Barnes & Noble's efforts in ensuring LGBT equality in each of the survey's main criterion earned it the prestigious 100 percent ranking.

For more information on the 2009 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 796 bookstores in 50 states. The company is the nation's top bookseller in quality, and for the fifth year in a row, the top bookseller brand, as determined by a combination of the brand's performance on familiarity, quality, and purchase intent, according to the EquiTrend(R) Brand Study by Harris Interactive(R). Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web's largest e-commerce sites.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

SOURCE: Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. Carolyn J. Brown, 212-633-4062 Corporate Communications cbrown@bn.com