Last fall, we shared that Jefferson County Public Library's (JCPL) primary vendor for print materials, Baker & Taylor, was going out of business. Since then, our Collections Team has been working diligently to place orders with different vendors and establish efficient processes to get new books on the shelves.
Unfortunately, many vendors are struggling to keep up with the increased demand as thousands of library systems across the country are trying to find replacement suppliers. This has resulted in continued delays in new titles arriving at JCPL. Rest assured that we are doing everything within our control to get new books on the shelves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is JCPL going to order fewer physical books in the future?
Don't worry, JCPL remains committed to maintaining a robust print collection. Despite the ongoing delays, physical books remain an important part of our collection.
Why do you have the e-book or audiobook, but not the physical version?
Our audiobook CDs, preloaded audiobooks and digital books come from a separate vendor, so they have not been affected by the Baker & Taylor closure. Patrons who don't want to wait for the physical book to arrive are encouraged to check out Libby and Hoopla to see if a digital version is available.
Baker & Taylor owned the e-book app Boundless, whose services ended with their closure. Luckily, JCPL successfully transitioned our e-materials from Boundless to Libby last year before their closure was announced, so digital materials remained unaffected.
Another library system has this title, why doesn't JCPL?
Since different library systems use different vendors, the impact has varied. Patrons may use Prospector to place a hold on titles that aren't in the JCPL catalog but are available from another library system.
Why has my hold been in process for so long?
If your hold is in process, it means that we have the book, but it is still in the queue of items we need to process and prepare.
Baker & Taylor shipped books to us in shelf-ready condition, but our new vendors are not set up for that. As a result, we have to undertake the additional step of processing almost 46,000 items in-house by adding barcodes, RFID tags, spine labels, stickers, record labels, protective covers and entering all of the item information into the catalog. As of March, we have successfully processed and sent out approximately 35,000 print items to branches and are continuing to work through the queue.
Read about our preparation process to learn more.
What is JCPL doing to expedite this process?
We are currently in talks with other vendors to diversify our supply chain and are working with a third-party company to assist us with the preparations it takes to get books shelf ready. We have also added additional staff to JCPL's Collections Team to expedite processing.
At this time, we anticipate that the delays will continue through the remainder of the year. JCPL remains committed to doing everything we can to get items to patrons as efficiently as possible. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we work through this situation. Please reach out to library staff with any questions you may have.
Looking for your next great read while you wait? We have recommendations for all readers and occasions made up of titles already on our shelves.