Overdue Conversations / Timeline
Baker & Taylor and the vendors libraries rely on
Follow the companies that supply library books and services, from their beginnings through Baker & Taylor’s collapse. Each event identifies what the available records establish.
Why this matters: Libraries rely on vendors to order, catalog, prepare and deliver books, and to lend ebooks. When Baker & Taylor closed, customers had to replace those services. This timeline follows ownership, contracts and the effects on libraries and workers.
Utah context: who chooses school books · how paid book services fit into the process
Hawaii contract dispute · Library pricing case · WorldCat records case · More court records · Library contracts
Open an event for the record behind a company’s beginnings, ownership change, court case or service transfer.
No events in this selection. Choose All to return to the chronology.
1828
Baker & Taylor begins as a bookseller
The company traces its start to 1828, long before library distribution became its best-known business.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Baker & Taylor began selling books before it supplied libraries. Those are different starting points.
What the record shows
A company history dates the bookseller’s start to 1828. The original founding record has not been located in this source set.
Sources
1873
Follett begins as a family bookselling business
Follett later became a major school and library supplier and acquired Baker & Taylor in 2016.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Follett’s family business predates its library services. Buying Baker & Taylor later joined two supplier networks under one owner.
What the record shows
The company history describes the family business as operating since 1873. This is a company-history date, not a date for its later library services.
Sources
1929
Bookazine begins as an independent book distributor
Bookazine is one of the distributors that later picked up library and school accounts as Baker & Taylor wound down.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Bookazine later took on accounts as Baker & Taylor withdrew, helping libraries keep books arriving.
What the record shows
Bookazine’s company history dates its start to 1929. Publishers Weekly reported that it added more than 100 new school, academic, and library accounts during B&T’s 2025 wind-down.
Sources
1939
Brodart enters the library-supply field
Brodart’s history shows that schools and libraries had specialized supply vendors decades before the modern digital platforms.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Suppliers began offering cataloging and book preparation alongside books. Libraries came to buy those services together.
What the record shows
A company history dates Brodart’s founding to 1939. The account describes library supplies and later cataloging, processing, and ordering services.
Sources
1968
Baker & Taylor advertises cataloging and processing
B&T was offering services beyond book supply by the late 1960s.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Replacing B&T meant replacing cataloging and preparation as well as book supply.
What the record shows
A trade-journal advertisement offered cataloging and processing for more than 30,000 school titles at 60 cents per book. It documents the service by 1968; the service may have begun earlier.
Sources
1978
Ingram Industries is established
Ingram later became a major book wholesaler and library supplier through its separate book businesses.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
This dates Ingram’s parent company, not its book-distribution business.
What the record shows
The available company history dates Ingram Industries to 1978. That is the corporate parent’s history, not the start date of Ingram Book Group or Ingram Library Services.
Open question
The start date of Ingram’s book-distribution business remains unknown here.
Sources
1983
Mackin begins serving school libraries
Mackin later expanded from school libraries into public-library purchasing during Baker & Taylor’s wind-down.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Mackin later took on library work during B&T’s wind-down.
What the record shows
Local company-history notes date Mackin’s founding to 1983. MackinPublic launched in 2025; the local record does not include a contemporaneous founding document.
Sources
1986
OverDrive starts in digital media
OverDrive began decades before its library ebook platform became a major public-library service.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
OverDrive began in digital media before developing its library ebook service.
What the record shows
The company dates its founding to 1986 in its own history. Its early business involved digital-media services; library ebook lending developed later.
Sources
1992
Carlyle and B&T management buy the company from W.R. Grace
This begins the series of private owners that later included Willis Stein, Castle Harlan, Follett, and a management-led group.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
This buyout begins the ownership changes followed below.
What the record shows
The company changed hands in March 1992. A later SEC filing provides a rare public view of B&T’s financing and ownership structure during the Carlyle years.
Sources
1995
A sealed lawsuit challenges Baker & Taylor’s library pricing
Public librarian Robert Costa and former B&T employee Ronald Thornburg filed a qui tam case against Baker & Taylor and W.R. Grace over alleged overcharges to libraries and other institutional customers.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
The lawsuit concerned library purchases and federal funds. Settlements resolved allegations without a trial verdict.
What the record shows
A later federal appellate opinion says the complaint was filed June 1, 1995, under seal. The 1998 court order describes the price-key and discount practices alleged in the complaint.
Sources
1996
Hawaii hires Baker & Taylor for statewide library work
The five-year agreement covered selecting, buying, cataloging, processing, and distributing books for public libraries.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Hawaii bought books, cataloging, preparation and delivery together. Later records question the service and oversight.
What the record shows
Hawaii’s auditor identifies March 28, 1996 as the contract execution date. The two audit reports differ on the effective date. The signed contract and performance addendum are not in the recovered records.
Open question
The original signed agreement and addendum are not available in this source set.
Sources
1997
Alabama public universities sue over book-sale claims
Alabama State University and Alabama A&M University sued Baker & Taylor, Carlyle, and W.R. Grace over alleged wrongdoing in book sales.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Public universities also challenged B&T’s pricing in a separate case.
What the record shows
The universities alleged wrongs involving B&T book sales and contracts. The 1998 opinion returned the case to Alabama state court because federal diversity jurisdiction was lacking: the federal court could not hear it on that basis. It did not decide the claims.
Open question
The state-court case outcome is not in the recovered opinion.
Sources
Hawaii and Baker & Taylor take the contract dispute to court
After Hawaii terminated the contract in July 1997, B&T sued over the state’s nonperformance determination. The state counterclaimed for costs and restitution.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
The dispute followed Hawaii’s bundled library contract. The auditor described both sides’ claims. A supplied docket records settlement and dismissal, but the terms are missing.
What the record shows
Auditor Report 98-8 summarizes the parties’ claims, including about $1.348 million in state counterclaims. Those figures are pleaded claims reported by the auditor, not a court award. A supplied printable docket records a settlement conference and dismissal with prejudice on July 29, 1999.
Open question
The docket copy does not include the complaint, counterclaim, settlement agreement, or payment terms. Its case number differs from a number cited in a later tax opinion.
Sources
1998
Hawaii’s auditor questions oversight and performance controls
The audit describes unreliable item coding and complaint follow-up, a cataloging backlog, and weak contract oversight.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
The auditor found oversight problems in Hawaii’s contract, affecting how the state checked library services.
What the record shows
The auditor reported that cost savings had not been demonstrated and that the performance addendum treated measures as goals rather than automatic grounds for default. These are the auditor’s findings about the state’s contract administration.
Sources
A court describes the price keys at the center of the allegations
In the Costa case, the court reviewed motions about alleged discount coding and charges on library and institutional book sales.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
The order describes allegedly using different codes to give different book discounts. Later settlement records address those claims.
What the record shows
The order denied a motion to dismiss claims based on B&T sales to library customers. It allowed some conspiracy allegations after the 1992 ownership change to proceed past the pleading stage. This was not a finding that the allegations were true.
Sources
1999
Baker & Taylor and W.R. Grace settle library overcharge allegations
The case spans a change in ownership: the Justice Department said B&T’s 1999 payment addressed post-sale overcharges, while the later settlement also covered W.R. Grace.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Public library overcharge allegations ended in settlements, not trial verdicts.
What the record shows
B&T paid $3 million in 1999. In 2000, W.R. Grace and B&T agreed to a $15.5 million federal and state settlement. The releases describe allegations resolved by settlement, not a trial verdict. The later court orders address attorneys’ fees.
Sources
- Justice Department: 1999 B&T settlement
- Justice Department: 2000 Grace and B&T settlement
- California Attorney General settlement announcement
- Open 2006 fee order (PDF)
- Open 2006 closing fee order (PDF)
- 1997 order lifting seal
- Read the saved March 1998 court order (text)
- Read the 1998 published opinion describing the case
2003
Willis Stein buys Baker & Taylor from Carlyle
Willis Stein owned B&T for about three years, then sold it to Castle Harlan.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
The ownership changed while libraries and workers continued using B&T’s services.
What the record shows
Contemporaneous industry reporting dates the Carlyle sale to July 3, 2003. Crain’s reported the 2006 sale at $455 million. The workforce and library operations continued through the ownership change.
Sources
2006
Castle Harlan takes ownership of Baker & Taylor
Castle Harlan’s ten-year hold included expanded academic distribution and a digital lending platform. Follett acquired B&T in 2016.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
B&T expanded academic distribution and digital lending under this owner. Customers later had to replace several services.
What the record shows
Castle Harlan bought B&T for $455 million in 2006. Follett later acquired it for an undisclosed price. A 2026 bankruptcy declaration describes financial pressures that accumulated before the management-led sale.
Sources
2007
A workplace dispute with Baker & Taylor goes to arbitration
Michael and Tanya Shapiro sued Baker & Taylor, Castle Harlan, and company officers, alleging employment and related claims.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
This workplace case arose during Castle Harlan’s ownership.
What the record shows
The court granted the defendants’ motion to compel arbitration and dismissed the complaint without prejudice. The opinion does not decide the underlying claims.
Sources
2009
OverDrive sues Baker & Taylor over ebook access
The dispute shows how library ebook lending involved contracts, platform access, and competing distribution services.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Digital access depended on platform contracts. This procedural ruling does not give the final case outcome.
What the record shows
The Delaware Court of Chancery’s 2011 opinion addresses a motion to dismiss in OverDrive v. Baker & Taylor. It is a procedural ruling; the final case disposition is not in this source set.
Open question
The opinion decides a motion to dismiss. The later outcome is unknown here.
Sources
2010
Baker & Taylor’s contract case returns from appeal
Baker & Taylor and its fulfillment subsidiary sued AlphaCraze.com and others over distribution contracts and guaranties.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
B&T also sued its own business customers to enforce contracts.
What the record shows
The Second Circuit vacated the dismissal in favor of arbitration and remanded the case. The ruling addressed who could enforce an arbitration clause, not the underlying contract claims.
Sources
2012
A book-rental business owner challenges a guaranty to Baker & Taylor
David Griffin asked a court to declare that a personal guaranty did not make him responsible for College Book Rental Company’s debts to B&T.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
B&T’s wholesale contracts reached rental businesses and people who personally guaranteed debts.
What the record shows
The court moved the case to the Western District of North Carolina. It did not decide whether the personal payment promise could be enforced.
Sources
2016
Follett acquires Baker & Taylor
The acquisition combined Follett’s school distribution and library technology with B&T’s library book wholesale business.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Follett’s purchase joined school and library services under one owner.
What the record shows
The sale price was not announced. Follett owned B&T until November 2021, when B&T’s officers and directors led a management buyout.
Sources
2019
Baker & Taylor narrows its business and closes warehouses
While owned by Follett, B&T announced it would stop serving bookstores and close distribution centers. David Cully retired in August; Amandeep Kochar took over B&T’s leadership.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
B&T left parts of its business while continuing library services.
What the record shows
B&T’s retail-wholesale exit and warehouse closures preceded the later management buyout. A June 2019 company announcement records Kochar’s expanded role; contemporary trade coverage documents the bookstore exit.
Sources
2021
A management-led group buys Baker & Taylor from Follett
B&T continued operating under the group led by Aman Kochar until its 2025 wind-down.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Management bought B&T shortly before its later wind-down. Libraries still depended on the company.
What the record shows
In his Chapter 11 declaration, Kochar says a group of officers and directors led by him bought the company in November 2021. The purchase price was not disclosed. Kochar’s declaration says CIT provided a credit facility of up to $70 million to acquire and operate B&T.
Sources
2022
Baker & Taylor operates an IT-services affiliate in India
Local company records date Baker & Taylor IT Services India Private Limited to June 2022. The company later filed its FY2024–25 annual report.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
B&T’s operations also included an India company.
What the record shows
The local company report identifies the India entity and its operations for the year ending March 31, 2025. Registration sources place its incorporation on June 6, 2022.
Sources
2025
OCLC sues Baker & Taylor over WorldCat records
OCLC’s complaint says B&T used WorldCat records in its competing BTCat service. B&T disputed OCLC’s claims.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
OCLC accused B&T of misusing library catalog records. The complaint states allegations; later orders track the case.
What the record shows
The complaint and later court filings are linked below. In October 2025, the court entered a stipulated preliminary injunction. In March 2026, it stayed the claims against B&T after the bankruptcy filing. The complaint states OCLC’s allegations, not court findings.
Sources
A planned sale falls through as Baker & Taylor cuts staff
B&T’s proposed sale to ReaderLink ended in September 2025. In a bankruptcy declaration, CEO Amandeep Kochar said about 600 of roughly 950 employees were separated on October 6.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
After the sale failed, customers had to find replacement services and workers faced layoffs.
What the record shows
Those dates and headcount come from the debtor’s sworn declaration in the later Chapter 11 case. The declaration gives B&T’s account of the failed transaction and its effects.
Open question
The declaration is the company’s account of the transaction and layoffs.
Sources
Baker & Taylor Publisher Services moves to Lakeside
B&T’s bankruptcy declaration says it sold its publisher-services business to Lakeside Book Company in November 2025.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Separate deals transferred different B&T business lines. Customers and publishers did not all get the same successor.
What the record shows
The declaration describes a sale of the publisher-services business, separate from the later sale of B&T’s digital business to LibraryOne.
Sources
Baker & Taylor sells its digital business to LibraryOne
Baker & Taylor’s bankruptcy declaration says the company completed two asset-purchase agreements for its Digital Pub business with LibraryOne on December 15 and 24, 2025.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
The digital unit moved through a separate sale during the wind-down.
What the record shows
The declaration describes a sale of a business unit, not a sale of all of Baker & Taylor. The local records include LibraryOne coverage and a separate disclosure of the transaction.
Sources
Baker & Taylor’s collapse sends customers to multiple providers
Libraries and suppliers had to replace different parts of B&T’s business: physical books, digital platforms, cataloging, and school ordering.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Libraries had to replace several linked B&T services. Transfers varied, leaving different paths for customers.
What the record shows
Trade reporting and bankruptcy filings document the wind-down and asset sales. Successor arrangements vary by product and customer; the transition was not a single company-wide transfer.
Sources
2026
Baker & Taylor files for Chapter 11
After operations stopped in October, B&T filed a voluntary Chapter 11 petition in New Jersey. The filing brought company assets, contracts, and creditor claims into a court-supervised process.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Bankruptcy records identify reported debts and obligations. They also preserve the company’s explanation of the closure.
What the record shows
The petition, Kochar declaration, schedules, and Statement of Financial Affairs are available below. They are separate records: the petition opens the case; later schedules list the debtor’s reported assets and liabilities.
Sources
Former employees file WARN complaints in the bankruptcy
Former employees filed class-action complaints alleging that Baker & Taylor failed to provide legally required notice before layoffs.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
Workers’ complaints added claims to the bankruptcy case. Those allegations remain separate from court findings.
What the record shows
The local case file includes the Edwards/Page adversary complaint filed March 23 and the Carmichael/Amen adversary complaint filed April 29. The complaints state the plaintiffs’ allegations, not court findings.
Sources
A court denies an author’s request to continue a case against Baker & Taylor
In a separate copyright and contract dispute, Vickie Stringer asked the court to lift the automatic bankruptcy stay so her case against B&T could continue.Read the evidenceWhy this matters
B&T’s bankruptcy paused a separate author lawsuit. This order addresses that pause.
What the record shows
The court denied the request for stay relief. The linked order resolves that request; it does not decide the underlying claims in the lawsuit.
Sources
About the Hawaii docket
The linked Hawaii docket is a supplied printable copy saved with the local research records. The audit reports are also available from the Hawaii State Auditor. The signed contract, complaint, counterclaim, and settlement terms were not recovered.
More Baker & Taylor court records
The timeline covers cases about buying, access and closure. These other saved opinions may lack the complaint or full court docket.
- Shapiro v. Baker & Taylor (2007): The plaintiffs alleged employment and related claims. The court ordered arbitration and dismissed the complaint without prejudice. Read the opinion (PDF).
- Baker & Taylor v. AlphaCraze.com (2010): B&T appealed a dismissal of contract and guaranty claims in favor of arbitration. The Second Circuit vacated and remanded. Read the opinion (PDF).
- Griffin v. Baker & Taylor (2012): A book-rental business owner challenged a personal guaranty tied to company debts. The court transferred the case and did not decide enforceability. Read the opinion (PDF).
Other court records are linked in the dated timeline events above, including the 1990s pricing cases, the OverDrive and OCLC disputes, the employee complaints, and the Chapter 11 docket.
Library contracts and pricing records
These contracts show what different customers bought and how prices or book leases were recorded. They are examples, not a complete set.
- Fort Worth Public Library, 2019: A vendor-services agreement and service exhibits. Open the saved contract text.
- Statewide award pricing schedule, 2022: Open the pricing schedule spreadsheet.
- Lee County Library, 2023: A book-leasing renewal. Open the saved renewal (PDF).
- American Library Association, 2026: Proof of claim filed in the Chapter 11 case. Read the proof of claim (PDF).
- Claims deadline: The bankruptcy court’s bar-date order. Read the order (PDF).
Saved company and news screenshots
Saved screenshots show company descriptions and reporting on the service transfers.
