Why this matters
San Diego library patrons can expect delays when checking out or buying books at citywide branches.
San Diegans could see delays at local libraries as city officials seek to replace their only print book supplier that suddenly stopped distributing.
City spokesperson Caleb Olsen told inewsource the San Diego Public Library will now have to re-order thousands of titles after the national book distributor Baker & Taylor abruptly stopped fulfilling book orders. The company is shutting down at the end of the year after an acquisition deal was terminated, according to reports.
Olsen said that could mean higher costs for the library system because other vendors are unlikely to offer the discounts that Baker & Taylor offered. The pace and volume of new book circulation could also take a hit.
“San Diego Public Library is still learning how this will impact our operations,” he said in an email.
Audiobooks and other digital media collections are sourced from a separate vendor, Midwest Tapes, and are unaffected.
From the Documenters
This story came in part from notes taken by Taylor Rau, a San Diego Documenter, at a San Diego Board of Library Commissioners meeting this month. The Documenters program trains and pays community members to document what happens at public meetings. Read the note here.
City records show the library system entered a five-year, $15 million contract with Baker & Taylor in 2023.
Olsen said the library will purchase fewer book copies, and that any other impacts on operations won’t be known until new vendors are selected.
The vendor shakeup comes after the city cut library hours on Sundays and Mondays as part of its response to a massive budget deficit.
Raising concerns over more budget cuts in the future, the Board of Library Commissioners said at a meeting this month that they’re evaluating alternative vendors. Staff is considering two vendors, Ingraham and Brodart, to replace Baker & Taylor.
Despite the setback, Olsen said the city is committed to ensuring San Diegans continue to have access to a wide range of reading materials. The system has 37 branches across the city and more than 5 million books.
Next month, commissioners plan to draft a letter to the City Council to ask that it does not further cut the library budget.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.