(Radio Iowa) – Public libraries across the state are scrambling to find new vendors after one of the nation’s largest suppliers of books to public libraries abruptly ended distribution. Iowa City Public Library director Anne Mangano says North Carolina-based Baker & Taylor had a contract with the State of Iowa that negotiated discounts. “They offered the better discounts, they offered those services at a price point that we could afford, we’re probably going to have to spend more money on that, which means our book budget is gonna be stretched.”

Mangano says 84 percent of the library’s book collections were purchased through that company. The library is now relying on its secondary vendor as it explores its options.  “Overall, our selection might be a little bit smaller,” she says. “We might not be buying the amount of copies that we were in the past to fulfill holds and demand. And it comes at a time when library budgets have already been strained.”

Baker & Taylor will end operations by the end of the year due to financial issues. The company had partnered with more than five-thousand libraries worldwide.