A week ago, I learned about the closure of book distribution giant Baker & Taylor, and I felt a sense of loss as B&T was a part of my professional life since I started working in the library in 1974.
Have you been curious as to where all of those lovely books come from that grace library (and bookstore) shelves, many appearing on the publication day, or has it even entered your mind to wonder? The answer is that many of them are provided by the giant company Baker & Taylor, which has distribution centers around the U.S. They also provided services that made the lives easier of anyone who did library collection development (I was a fan of Automatically Yours, a service that automatically sent books by popular authors, and title catalogs, which listed major forthcoming books and print runs.)
Book Picker or Blackjack Dealer?
In the late 1970s or early 1980s, my husband and I both worked for the library system and were slated to be laid off should a library levy not pass. One of our options was moving to Reno, Nevada, so we spent a few days there, touring the Baker & Taylor distribution center and casinos. I was thinking I could get a job at B&T, or if that didn’t work out, become a blackjack dealer (no joke). Spoiler: the levy passed, and I didn’t spend the rest of my career as a book order picker or dealing cards in a smoky casino.
“Books. Cats. Life is Good.” — T. S. Eliot
But one of their major claims to fame was Baker and Taylor, two sweet Scottish Fold cats who became their mascots and whose faces graced company promotional materials. It was de rigueur to return from a conference sporting a coveted tote bag (I’m not sure how many I cleaned out of my work area when I retired, but it was a bunch.)
In 1983, the Minden (Nevada) Library acquired a Scottish Fold cat they named Baker after he was found sleeping in Baker & Taylor boxes. They wanted another but couldn’t afford one, so the company agreed to obtain another cat (and if I remember correctly, paid for their care), in return for using them for promotional purposes. In 1990, my husband and I were passing through Minden and stopped to meet the cats, which remains a highlight of my life. Despite our visit interrupting the staff’s workflow, they graciously took me to the back room for a “meet and greet.” If you can’t tell, Baker wasn’t very cool with having his photo taken, but he enjoyed the scritches. The story of the cats is chronicled in the lovely book, The True Tails of Baker & Taylor, by the then-library director, Jan Louch. However, a mutual colleague informed me that parts were not entirely factual, but I didn’t care; I still loved the book.You can find my Goodreads review here.
So, how will libraries obtain their books after B&T ceases its operation? Most will probably use Ingram’s, another big distribution company, but it’s going to take time to get it all sorted out. So my advice is to please be patient if your library doesn’t get books on the shelves or your hold isn’t filled as quickly as before.
One day in 1966, when I was in the 8th grade, I was perusing the rental shelf (5 cents per day, if I remember correctly), when my eyes spied a book I had recently heard about, the groundbreaking Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. When I took it to the desk, Miss Clark looked at it with disapproval and said I needed a note from my “mommy” to check it out. What happened after that shaped my reading life forever.
read next, and she recommended 
Yes, that’s right. Did you know that back when gothic novels were “hot,” book cover artists were instructed to create covers with towering phallic symbols? Who knew? You can read all about it in my review of Grady Hendrix’s 
After that, it was a short coaster ride down the slippery slope to reading more smut. It wasn’t long before I discovered novels by Harold Robbins, such as 
My memory of walking into the Cottage Grove Public Library and inhaling that unique “old books” scent is as vivid as if it happened yesterday, but what I also remember is the feeling of anticipation to see what new books awaited me for my reading pleasure–and that hasn’t abated a whit since then. It wasn’t long before I discovered books in series and that I loved following a particular character. I don’t recall reading many Beverly Cleary books (except for Fifteen in my later years) but loved Carolyn Haywood’s Betsy series.
mysteries I hadn’t yet read. I don’t think the library had a system for reserving books (or if they did, the librarian, Miss Clark, never offered as she might have known she’d be pestered to death), so I would rely on my memory to remember what I had read. I liked some more than others and the ones I liked best probably took place in mansions. (As an adult I relived my “Drew” years by reading Chelsea Cain’s delightful 
If you are close to my age, you probably remember singing along to the opening of the Mickey Mouse Club — “Hey There! Hi There! Ho There! You’re as welcome as can be!” But what I loved most were the introductions of the club members and Annette’s appearance! Y? Who knows, I just know she fascinated me, and I was thrilled to find she was featured in a mystery series I found at the five-and-dime store, Knickerbocker’s. I read 
in the rear with a stack of books that appeared to be thicker than the easy picture books and readers from the first grade. I didn’t care that they were above my grade level, I just wanted to burrow my face into the stack. I don’t remember when we were allowed to select what we wanted to haul home (although I do remember taking more books than I had time for, a practice that continues to this day). But I do remember Miss Rorrer reading us a chapter a day from 
I don’t know how old I was when I discovered 
But what I’ve never forgotten is my trips to the Cottage Grove Library and what a treat it was to haul home a huge stack of picture books. I was so impressed by D’Aulaires’ Don’t Count Your Chicks that I took it to Show and Tell and gave my first booktalk, imploring everyone to read this fabulous book. The only problem is I made the grave error of giving away the ending! I never did that again.
ROBIN'S BOOKS 