We recently shared that Baker & Taylor — the wholesale provider of e-books and audiobooks for the Boundless platform — announced it will cease operations and close by the end of the year. While we are still waiting for details about what will happen to the Boundless digital catalog, we also want to share how this closure is affecting Illinois Prairie District Public Library.
Baker & Taylor has been our primary source for print books for many years. Unfortunately, their closure has already impacted our ability to serve patrons. Over the past several months, we have experienced delayed shipments, out-of-stock titles, and new releases placed on backorder. Other libraries in our region are encountering similar challenges. Because we share resources through our RSACat consortium, this means certain books are unavailable not just at IPDPL, but across many member libraries.
We are actively working to establish new vendor partnerships, but remaining book wholesalers that serve schools and libraries are currently handling a surge of new customers. In the meantime, all outstanding Baker & Taylor orders have been canceled, and we will need to reorder those titles once new purchasing arrangements are in place.
We know how frustrating it can be to wait for a book on hold, and we share that frustration. Please know that we are doing everything we can to restore regular book deliveries as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this transition.