Library Technology Guides

One aspect of the library technology that I find interesting concerns the diverse ownership arrangements of the companies and organizations that provide technology products and services to libraries. The mix includes for-profit commercial companies and non-profit organizations. The commercial companies fall under differing ownership arrangements, such as those that are privately held by the founding owner or family, those controlled by investment firms, publicly traded companies, as well as those with hybrid ownership structures.

OCLC has divested its QuestionPoint online reference service, selling the product to Springshare, a commercial company offering a variety of products, mostly focusing on public-facing library services delivered through a software-as-a-service platform. This product, officially branded as the QuestionPoint 24/7 Reference Cooperative, has been offered to libraries as a subscription service since 2002.

The ownership arrangement for ProQuest has undergone a major change. The investment firm Atairos has made a major investment in the company, essentially replacing Goldman Sachs as the minority owner of the company. Cambridge Information Group (CIG) acquired ProQuest in 2007 and continues as its majority investor.

In a major shift in the retail bookseller market, Follett-owned Baker & Taylor announced that it will phase out its operations as a wholesale distributor for bookstores. The company will instead strengthen its operations related to providing books and other content to public libraries. This change is consistent with the business focus of its parent company, Follett, on libraries and educational institutions. This move will provide opportunities for large distributors such as Ingram Content Group, the other major competitor in the retail book distribution sector, as well as for smaller companies.

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