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Baker & Taylor, the world's largest distributor of physical and digital books and entertainment, announced today it is once again a full-service vendor to academic libraries. A Follett company, Baker & Taylor will be serving academic libraries worldwide with the widest range of library products and services to institutions, as well as the most comprehensive range and deepest inventory of books, movies, and music for colleges and universities.

The announcement was made in advance of the start of the Charleston Conference, to be held virtually November 2-6. Baker & Taylor will be a vendor at the annual conference, which for the past 40 years has attracted librarians, vendors and publishers to Charleston, S.C.

According to Aman Kochar, executive vice president and general manager of Baker & Taylor, the company's return to the academic market will be marked with an enhanced suite of services designed to meet today's physical and digital content needs.

"In these challenging times for higher education," Kochar said, "we are committed to supporting one of the most critical services that students and faculty rely on ? libraries ? making sure that not only do academic libraries have the advanced tools necessary to efficiently operate today, but also provide an opportunity to bring forward new and essential resources."

"We are all about books. Books are our DNA and our re-emergence as an academic library service provider promises to resonate well with customers who value a vendor partner exclusively focused on book content," Kochar added.

Carolea Newsome is one such customer pleased to hear about Baker & Taylor's return to serving academic libraries.

"Baker & Taylor's service was exemplary in the past and I look forward to working with them again on future acquisitions," said Newsome, library specialist at The University of Virginia's College at Wise. "Their services will allow our library to order and receive materials in an efficient and timely manner and to maximize our budgeted funds."

Debrah Fragoso, acquisitions assistant at Alabama's Jacksonville State University/Houston Cole Library, concurs.

"We have an established partnership with Baker & Taylor that goes back many years and it is the standard to which we hold our other vendors," Fragoso said. "We appreciate the ease of communication, customer support, and all aspects of working with Baker & Taylor."

Among Baker & Taylor's value-added library services and programs for academic institutions include:

• Axis 360. The platform's app gives readers on the go an entirely new way to experience their favorite digital titles with a single tap including access to popular leisure reading materials;
• PressReader. The global catalog can be integrated into the Axis360 ecosystem and provides libraries and patrons with more than 7,000 publications, newspapers and magazines from 160 countries and translatable into 18 languages;
• Sustainable Shelves Program. This new service helps libraries responsibly remove weeded or unwanted books from their collection. The program is an ideal way to generate additional funds for an academic institution's library while maintaining a vibrant and circulating collection; and
• Title Source 360. The state-of-the-art acquisition, collection development and bibliographic system helps users discover physical and digital books plus entertainment titles.

To learn more about Baker & Taylor services for academic libraries, visit www.baker-taylor.com/a_library_details.cfm.

About Baker & Taylor | baker-taylor.com

Baker & Taylor, a business unit of education content and technology provider Follett Corporation, offers the most extensive selection of products and services for public libraries, and is the only vendor that can truly offer a one-stop shopping experience for all formats, including print, movies and music, and digital downloadable ebooks and audio content. Visit Baker & Taylor's online selection and acquisitions website, Title Source 360.

About Follett Corporation | follett.com

Follett Corporation is the world's largest single source of books, entertainment products, digital content and multi-media for libraries, schools and retailers. Headquartered in Westchester, Illinois, Follett provides education technology, services and physical and digital content to millions of students at 70,000 schools and more than 2,850 physical and virtual campus stores in North America. Through Baker & Taylor, Follett's reach also extends to the public library and global retail markets.