After almost 200 years, Baker and Taylor, the largest library book supplier in the U.S, has officially closed.
Baker and Taylor was founded in 1828 as a book distributor to libraries, and grew to become the largest distributor of books and other library materials. The company served as an in-between for publishers and libraries, and they sent books to over 5,000 libraries across the U.S.
The distributor closed after a period of financial hardship and a string of other problems. Library orders dropped significantly during the pandemic and they never got back up to their original level. The company also faced security issues, with a major cyberattack in 2022.
The company also experienced multiple financial issues in 2025. CIT Northbridge Credit declared the loans they had given to Baker and Taylor in default. This meant they had to pay back all the loans almost immediately, which they were unable to do.
Baker and Taylor was supposed to be acquired by ReaderLink, a book distributor company that provides books to book stores like Target. However, the planned acquisition fell through, putting Baker and Taylor in an unstable situation.
Baker and Taylor was a massive institution, serving around 36,000 libraries and retailers in 120 countries.
Many libraries across the U.S. have relied on Baker and Taylor to supply most of their books, and the closure of the company has caused an upset in the book industry. Libraries are now turning to other book suppliers, like Ingram, Baker and Taylor’s main competitor.
Book supply has also reached a roadblock. Without a supplier, it is difficult for libraries to get books and other media, such as magazines. Libraries are unable to provide new and popular books, because they lack stable suppliers.
Falls Church City’s Mary Riley Styles Public Library (MRSPL), is a library which was affected by the closing, as Baker and Taylor was one of the library’s main suppliers.
“The closure of a major book vendor for libraries will significantly impact library systems everywhere. I’m proud to share that MRSPL had the foresight to establish accounts with two additional vendors last year, reducing our reliance on Baker & Taylor before news of their closure,” MRSPL Director Megan Dotzler said.“Both our new vendors, Brodart and Ingram have experienced a major surge in demand, making us especially grateful that we built partnerships with them in advance.”
MRSPL has made great steps to prevent destabilization of the library materials in case a situation like this happened. With the closing of Baker and Taylor, library patrons should expect some possible delays, even with multiple suppliers, due to an increase in new demand.
Baker and Taylor’s competitors have been working hard to adjust to the new demand as the libraries look for new suppliers.
The closure of Baker and Taylor, one of the world’s largest distributors, serving libraries and schools, has had a great impact on the library community worldwide. Libraries are working hard during this time to make this transition as smooth as possible, and they hope that everything will go back to normal within a couple months.
