– Deposit program offers public libraries the opportunity to maximize discarded material –

CHARLOTTE, N.C., MAY 2, 2017 –Baker & Taylor, the premier worldwide distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products, and collectionHQ, the world’s leading collection performance improvement solution have today announced a new joint initiative with Better World Books.

Better World Books is a for-profit social enterprise that collects and sells books online with each sale generating funds and book donations to support libraries, literacy and education. Its partnership with Baker & Taylor and collectionHQ will enable public libraries to apply funding generated through the Better World Books’ ‘Discards & Donations’ program directly towards material from Baker & Taylor or toward a subscription with collectionHQ.

The partnership was announced at Baker & Taylor’s annual Vendor Summit held recently in Orlando, FL. Attendees expressed great excitement about the program which offers public libraries more choice to apply funding in a way that best meets the library’s needs and offers library staff the option to review the impact of the sale, donation or recycling of the material on the Better World Books client portal.

Scott Crawford, Vice President – General Manager, collectionHQ commented: “Our partnership with the Better World Books’ team means that we can develop a data-driven ecosystem that allows our public library customers to buy material, manage it on the shelves, and then weed items that are no longer in demand. Our customers use big data analytics supported by collectionHQ to make sure the material on their shelves meets with patron demand. Leveraging that same data, our ecosystem can now predict recommendations for customers using our ESP service. Once demand has waned for that material, our partnership with Better World Books gives our library customers a great outlet for those items to be sold and for the proceeds from that sale to benefit the library’s collection budget.”

Dustin Holland, Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing at Better World Books shared: “We are excited to partner with Baker & Taylor and collectionHQ on this program. It is a natural fit for our organizations and we stand on common ground when it comes to supporting libraries, literacy and education.”  

About collectionHQ

collectionHQ is the leading collection performance improvement solution, based on the proven Evidence Based Stock Management (EBSM^TM) methodology. Easy to implement, simple to use and extremely cost-effective, collectionHQ delivers repeatable performance improvements for library collections by providing evidence-based analysis, advice and performance monitoring of all collections across all media. It helps libraries save money by improving use of existing inventory and making purchasing more effective by creating evidence-based specifications. collectionHQ improves collection performance by identifying local demand and suggesting action plans on how to address this demand – improving the quality of service, demonstrating best value and improving local marketing. collectionHQ is owned by Baker & Taylor, a Follett Company, the world’s premier distributor of physical and digital books and entertainment products.

About Baker & Taylor

Baker & Taylor is the premier worldwide distributor of books, digital content and entertainment products from approximately 25,000 suppliers to over 20,000 customers in 120 countries. The company offers cutting-edge digital media services and innovative technology platforms to thousands of publishers, libraries, schools and retailers worldwide. Baker & Taylor also offers industry leading customized library services and retail merchandising solutions. For more information about Baker & Taylor visit www.baker-taylor.com. Baker & Taylor is part of Follett Corporation, the world’s largest single source of books, entertainment products, digital content and multi-media for libraries, schools and retailers. The company is headquartered in Westchester, Illinois.  For more information about Follett, visit www.follett.com. 

About Better World Books

Better World Books (http://www.BetterWorldBooks.com) is a for-profit social enterprise and a global e-retailer providing products and information to socially conscious consumers. Better World Books collects and sells new and used books online matching each purchase with a donation, book for book, and with each sale generating funds for literacy initiatives in the U.S. and around the world. Since its founding in 2003, the Mishawaka, Indiana-based company has raised more than $24 million for libraries and literacy, donated 22 million books; reused or recycled over 261 million books and achieved 56,000 tons of carbon offsets through carbon balanced shipping.  

Media Contact
Baker & Taylor
Jenny Johnson
704-998-3190
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