Book distributor Baker & Taylor, the main supplier of books to Public and Academic Libraries since their beginnings back in 1828, has announced that they will shut down operations almost immediately. This comes as a shock to our staff, as this news came just days after it was announced that Baker & Taylor would be acquired by ReaderLink, an acquisition that unfortunately fell through.
Because Baker & Taylor was our main book distributor, we want to let you know that there may be delays in our book acquisitions and cataloguing. Wholesalers like them made it possible for us to get the most out of every dollar, so we could keep offering a wide variety of titles for readers of all ages and interests. Baker & Taylor also assisted in processing materials before they arrived at our library, which saved us time and resources. This shutdown affects more than 2,000 titles that we anticipated receiving, in addition to our normal monthly purchases.
We apologize for the inconvenience and want to keep you updated on our plans moving forward:
- The Library has switched to a different, but still nationally recognized, book distributor to purchase all of our physical materials
- We have obtained a list of backordered items from Baker & Taylor and will prioritize those titles that we have been waiting on for the past few months
- Our Digital Collection, Audiobooks, Media Collection, and Library of Things: Beyond Books Collection are unaffected!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call us at 248-669-8108. Thank you for your understanding during this transition period for the Library.
