Charlotte, North Carolina-based Baker & Taylor, a distributor of books to public and academic libraries, has announced it would begin shutting down operations, with full closure of the company by January 2026, due to a failed sale to Oak Brook, Illinois-based ReaderLink Distribution Services, the largest full-service distributor of hardcover, trade, and paperback books to non-trade channel booksellers in North America
The closure will impact 520 employees, including 318 employees in the B&T distribution center in Momence, Illinois. Sixty-two employees will remain until December 22, 2025, and a “post–wind down” group of three employees will be let go on January 3, 2026.
According to a company spokesperson, “Despite Baker & Taylor’s subsequent efforts, it was unsuccessful in seeking a path to continue its business operations. The closure of its facilities has resulted from the unforeseen termination of a sale transaction which was intended to convey Baker & Taylor’s assets and operations to a purchaser, and which would have resulted in the continuing employment of all Baker & Taylor employees.”
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?