Build Your Own Damn Supply Chain

We've covered a lot of ground in this series.

Part 1: What happened to Baker & Taylor (and why Follett playing savior is obscene)
Part 2: The contract traps that keep you locked in
Part 3: How to do your own cataloging and processing for a fraction of the cost
Part 4: The accounting nightmare nobody's talking about

Now let\'s put it all together. This is the playbook for vendor independence - not theory, but practical steps you can take to make sure the next vendor collapse doesn\'t take you down with it.

The Goal: Resilience, Not Isolation

Let me be clear about what I'm advocating here.

I\'m not saying you should never use vendors. I\'m not saying you should do everything in-house. I'm not saying commercial services are inherently evil.

I'm saying you should never be completely dependent on any single vendor for any critical function.

Resilience means:

• Multiple vendors for critical services
• In-house capability for core functions (even if you don't always use it)
• Your data lives with you, not just in vendor systems
• Contract terms that let you leave when you need to
• Financial exposure limits that won't sink you if a vendor fails

The goal is strategic independence, not ideological purity.

Layer 1: Multiple Vendors

The simplest form of resilience is having contracts with multiple vendors for the same service.

For book acquisition and processing, you should have active accounts with at least two of these:

• Ingram Library Services
• Brodart
• Midwest Tape (AV focus)
• Mackin (school library focus)

"Active account" means you\'ve actually placed orders with them recently. You know your discount structure. You\'ve tested their processing quality. Your staff knows how to use their systems.

When B&T collapsed, libraries with backup accounts could redirect orders immediately. Libraries without spent weeks setting up new relationships while their shelves sat empty.

The Volume Discount Trap

Vendors will offer better discounts for higher volume commitments. It's tempting to consolidate everything with one vendor to maximize your discount.

Don't.

The 2-3% you might save on discount isn\'t worth the risk of 100% dependency. A 45% discount means nothing when the vendor doesn\'t exist.

Layer 2: Direct Publisher Relationships

For high-volume series or specific publishers, consider going direct.

Why this works:

• No middleman markup
• Direct communication about publication schedules
• Priority access to limited editions or high-demand titles
• Relationship survives vendor changes

Where it makes sense:

• Publishers where you buy significant volume (50+ titles/year)
• Series with standing orders
• Local or regional publishers

Call the publisher's library sales department. Ask about direct accounts and library discounts. Many publishers have programs specifically for libraries.

Layer 3: DIY Cataloging Capability

Even if you use vendor cataloging 95% of the time, you should be able to do it yourself when needed.

Minimum capability:

1. Someone on staff who understands MARC format
2. Documented access to Library of Congress catalog
3. A tested process for importing records into your ILS
4. Local documentation of your cataloging preferences

The test: If your vendor disappeared tomorrow, could you catalog a book?

Not efficiently. Not at scale. But could you do it at all?

Layer 4: DIY Processing Capability

Physical processing is easier to DIY than most libraries realize.

You don't need expensive equipment. A decent office printer handles labels. Mylar jackets apply by hand. Security strips are peel-and-stick.

Layer 5: Your Data Stays With You

Your institutional data should never live only in vendor systems.

What you need local copies of:

• Processing specifications - Label formats, call number rules, MARC customizations
• Order history - What you ordered, when, from whom, prices paid
• Vendor account details - Discount structures, contract terms, renewal dates
• Selection profiles - Standing order configurations, approval plan parameters

How to maintain this:

• Annual documentation review (add it to your calendar)
• Export data from vendor systems regularly
• Store in a location YOU control
• Include in succession planning

Layer 6: Contract Terms That Protect You

When you sign (or renew) vendor contracts, negotiate for:

Data portability: Right to export your data in usable formats. Includes processing specs, not just order history.

Financial protection: Limits on prepayment requirements. Clear refund terms for unfulfilled orders.

Exit provisions: Reasonable cancellation notice periods (30-60 days, not 90-180). No auto-renewal without explicit confirmation.

Performance standards: Specific fill rate definitions and targets. Remedies when standards aren't met.

You won't get everything you ask for. But asking establishes expectations. And anything you do get in writing is better than assumptions.

The Cultural Shift

Here's the hardest part: changing how we think about vendor relationships.

For decades, libraries have treated vendors as partners. We trusted them. We built relationships with sales reps. We assumed they'd always be there.

That trust was weaponized against us. It kept us locked into contracts we shouldn't have signed. It left us exposed when the "partnership" turned out to be one-sided.

I\'m not saying become adversarial. I\'m saying become strategic.

Vendors are service providers, not partners. They exist to make money. Their interests and your interests align only partially, and only sometimes. Treat them accordingly.

This isn\'t cynicism. It\'s professionalism.

The Beginning of Something Better

I called this series "The Beginning of the End" for a reason.

It\'s the end of blind trust in vendor stability. It\'s the end of accepting complexity gatekeeping. It\'s the end of letting contracts hold your data hostage. It\'s the end of single points of failure in library supply chains.

But it's also the beginning of something better.

Libraries have always been about democratizing access to information. We fight for open access, oppose censorship, and believe knowledge should be free.

It's time to apply those principles to our own operations.

The cataloging data should be free (and it is - Library of Congress gives it away). The tools should be accessible (and AI is making them accessible). The knowledge to do this work should be shared (and that's what this series is about).

The vendor model isn't going away. There will always be a role for professional processing services. But the dependency is optional. The lock-in is optional. The vulnerability is optional.

You can build something more resilient. And now you know how.

This series is dedicated to every librarian who\'s ever been told "that\'s just how it works" about a system that doesn\'t work for them. It doesn\'t have to be this way. Build something better.