Follett Content today announced the hire of more than 10 industry veterans—including several who previously held roles at Baker & Taylor—and several targeted investments in its technology infrastructure to strengthen its support for public library systems nationwide. Long a major supplier to K–12 schools and school libraries, Follett Content announced its entry into the public library market last September, as Baker & Taylor struggled to fulfill orders.

“Can we service this [public library] market out of the box?” Britten Follett, CEO of Follett Content, asked in an interview with LJ last fall. “We have books. You need books. We have a fantastic processing team that can put [shelf-ready] stickers on your books and get them to your specifications in a timely manner. The answer to that, at a high level, is ‘yes,’ although there are nuances to public libraries that I am well aware of, both from my history and the market research we’ve done in the past several months.”

The new investments in the company’s technology infrastructure are aimed at supporting more robust workflows for public libraries and include brief MARC accessibility, support for complex grids, EDI ordering and invoicing capabilities, and account management enhancements. “These upgrades are currently underway, with additional offerings and enhancements expected to roll out this year,” according to an announcement. The company has not publicly given a time frame or specific launch dates, but has emphasized that its pipeline of improvements for serving public libraries will be significant, and that it reflects a multiyear commitment.

“The message from public libraries has been clear: they want another strong, reliable partner, and they want one invested in long-term infrastructure, not shortcuts,” Amy Egan, VP and GM of Libraries at Follett Content, said in the announcement. “We’re excited about what’s coming. This is just the beginning.”

Britten Follett added that these targeted technology enhancements, along with the new hires, reflect the company’s view of public libraries as part of a long-term strategy. “We’re here to strengthen stability, expand choice, and partner with libraries for decades to come,” she said in the announcement.

To fill the void left behind with Baker & Taylor’s bankruptcy, Mackin—Follett Content’s primary competitor in the K–12 market—also announced in October that it would begin serving public libraries through its newly launched Mackin Public division. And Ingram’s Library Services division in January announced a partnership with Backstage Library Works to provide ready-to-circulate materials even for “libraries with highly customized” specifications. Separately, this month Ingram announced new executive hires as well as the hiring of new associates throughout its network of distribution centers.