Follett School Solutions is owned by Francisco Partners.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Corporation History: the evolution and devolution of a family business. January 2023. Library Technology Newsletter. A detailed history of the Follett Corporation covering events from the antecedent businesses, though its expansion through the creation of multiple subsidiaries to address new areas of business, and its ultimate demise through the divestiture of its primary businesses. The underlying businesses continue under the ownership of new investment groups.

Breeding, Marshall. New Ownership for Follett School Solutions. October 2021. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Francisco Partners, a private equity investment firm focused on technology-based businesses, has acquired Follett School Solutions, whose products include the Destiny Library Manager used by most K–12 school libraries in the United States and the Aspen Student Information System. The company is also a major distributor of print and digital content for educational institutions available through its Titlewave ecommerce platform. Follett School Solutions was previously part of Follett Corporation, a family-owned business tracing its roots to 1873 and owned by the descendants of its founder, Charles W. Follett.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Corporation Makes New Leadership Appointments. October 2019. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Follett Corporation, one of the largest companies providing products and services to libraries and educational institutions, has made new appointments in key executive positions. These changes apply to senior executive positions within the context of ongoing top-level leadership with Patrick Connolly as President and Chief Executive Officer and Todd Litzsinger as the chair of the board of directors.

Breeding, Marshall. Baker & Taylor Exits Services for Retail Bookstores. July 2019. Smart Libraries Newsletter. 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.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Acquires NextTier Education. January 2019. Smart Libraries Newsletter. In a move that strengthens its position in the educational technology sector, Follett has acquired Chicago-based NextTier Education, a relatively new startup offering a platform designed to help students apply for post-secondary education programs. This acquisition builds on a previous arrangement announced in May 2018, where Follett became the exclusive distributor of NextTier Education products to domestic and international institutions.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Acquires Fishtree. August 2018. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Follett Corporation, in a move that strengthens its position in educational technology for the classroom, has acquired Fishtree and its adaptive learning platform. Fishtree is a relatively new company in the rapidly expanding sector of educational technology platforms for online learning and markets its platform to K-12 schools and districts, higher educational institutions, and the corporate sector. Fishtree distinguishes its products from other players in the increasingly crowded educational technology sector through incorporating machine learning to curate and align all resources and deliver personalized experiences for every student, while reducing the time required for teachers to prepare and deliver courses. The Fishtree platform has some characteristics of a learning management system, but it is an adaptive learning platform powered by machine learning, social tools, and analytics and comes pre-populated with a large repository of educational resources.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Expands to Dubai. February 2017. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Follett has expanded its international efforts through opening a new office in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The office reflects the company's interest in strengthening its business interests in the Middle East region. The Follett International group includes 35 associates, with 8 in the Middle East region. In addition to this new office, Follett has local support in Africa, Asia, the Asia Pacific region, Europe, Canada, Mexico / Central America, and South America / Caribbean.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Corporation acquires Baker & Taylor. June 2016. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Follett Corporation, one of the major companies providing products and services to schools and higher educational institutions, has taken its largest expansion step of with the acquisition of Baker & Taylor, one of the oldest and largest providers of content to libraries. This move not only further diversifies Follett's product and services portfolio, but it also extends its presence internationally. Previously almost all of Follett's business has been in the US With customers in more than 120 countries, Baker & Taylor has considerable international reach. This move means more involvement by Follett with public libraries, expanding beyond its previous focus on schools and academic campuses. According to the press announcement, this acquisition increases Follett's annual revenue from $2.6 billion to $3.6 billion.

Breeding, Marshall. Tech Trends and Challenges for K-12 School Libraries. September 2013. Computers in Libraries. Though all libraries share some core objectives, each type of library has a distinct set of issues that shapes the nature of its collections and services, which, in turn, brings different requirements to its technology environment. In the most basic terms, academic libraries focus on the management and access to scholarly materials, public libraries foster engagement with their communities through vigorous circulation of collections of broad popular interest, and special libraries have gravitated into the realm of enterprise knowledge management. Likewise, school libraries have their own distinct concerns, which are closely tied to the support of learning and the provision of resources selected for the levels of students served. The distinctive role of school libraries has fostered the development of a variety of specialized technology products. At the same time, school libraries can benefit from close collaboration with other libraries in their communities. This month's Systems librarian column explores some of the trends underway in the school library arena, including a few interesting partnerships that have emerged to strengthen their capacity to serve their students.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Unifies its School Library Business. August 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Follett Corporation announced its plans to further consolidate its businesses involved in products and services for the K-12 school library arena. Currently, several separate companies, each acting as wholly owned subsidiaries of Follett Corporation, offer a distinct set of products.

Breeding, Marshall. Follett Releases Destiny 11.0. May 2013. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Follett School and Library Group released Destiny 11.0, the latest version of its automation product designed primarily for the K-12 school library arena. Originally created in 2003, Follett has maintained a pace of delivering major updates to Destiny annually.

Breeding, Marshall. Sagebrush sold to Follett Software Company. September 2006. Smart Libraries Newsletter. Sagebrush Corporation has sold its library-automation division to longtime rival Follett Corporation, a move that consolidates the two largest K–12 library-automation software suppliers. This acquisition creates an organization that holds a stronger position than has ever existed in the library-automation arena. Now combined, the vendors provide automation software to up to 60 percent of K–12 libraries. The two companies closed the transaction on July 25, 2006; the terms of the sale were not made public.

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July 10, 2024. Follett Book eFairs registration now open for PreK-8 schools in US. Educators may now schedule dates for Follett Book eFairs, which it was announced last month are returning after debuting four years ago. The new iteration of online book fairs, available to all PreK-8 schools in the United States, are timed conveniently for back to school in September.

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July 8, 2024. Follett's content business reintroduces itself as Follett Content Solutions. Follett Content Solutions announced it is now its own business entity. The company has a new name, logo, and website, all while staying true to its mission to empower the success of schools and get books in the hands of students.

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May 22, 2024. Exclusive new service helps librarians complete book series collections. An exclusive new service from Titlewave will alert PreK-12 librarians when the latest titles in a book series have been released. The Series Notification service allows educators to receive monthly notification emails about upcoming and top-selling titles. With the new service — free to Titlewave users and available within their account settings — librarians can now conveniently shop current and previous series titles, plus receive a sneak peek into what's coming next. Beyond providing librarians an easy way to stay current, the service is crucial to students as studies show those who embrace a book series will yearn to read more about their favorite characters. Literacy experts also note an engaging series boasts the potential to help reluctant readers fall in love with books.

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May 15, 2024. Follett Content launching Online Book Fair Option for every PreK-8 US school. Follett Content – a longtime literacy and school librarian advocate – today announced it will re-introduce online book fundraisers later this year, leveling the playing field and extending benefits to educators and students alike. Follett Book eFairs will be offered to all PreK-8 schools in the United States and have no minimum sales requirements, extending reach and accessibility. As an added benefit, for every dollar an online book fundraiser earns, schools will receive a percentage back in Titlewave credit that can be used to buy books to enhance both school and classroom libraries.

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April 16, 2024. Noted author to explore relational teaching in June 4 virtual event. Noted author Anthony Reibel will headline a virtual event Tuesday, June 4 exploring the definitions of relational teaching and its impact on student learning. Follett Content Solutions and the McHenry County Regional Office of Education are co-sponsoring “Book Talk: Embracing Relational Teaching by Anthony Reibel,” which will be held from 8 to 9 p.m. EDT.

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February 29, 2024. Relational Teaching, its impact on student learning to be Explored in April 16 Virtual Book Talk with noted author. Noted author Anthony Reibel will headline a virtual event Tuesday, April 16 exploring the definitions of relational teaching and its impact on student learning. Follett Content Solutions and the McHenry County (Illinois) Regional Office of Education are co-sponsoring “Book Talk: Embracing Relational Teaching by Anthony Reibel,” which will be held from 7 to 8 p.m. (CDT).

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January 26, 2024. Follett School Solutions expands Its functionality with Livingtree acquisition. Follett School Solutions, the leading provider of K-12 educational technology solutions, announced it has acquired Livingtree, an all-in-one fundraising management platform. The acquisition, which closed in December 2023, brings together two partners experienced in providing exceptional support to learning communities.

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September 6, 2023. Follett literacy program provides opportunity for classroom to connect with noted children's author. Children's authors bond with students on many levels with their books but it's not often they enjoy face-to-face contact with the young readers. Thanks to the fourth “Write to Connect” program from Follett Content Solutions, it again will become a reality for students whose teachers have nominated their classroom by the Friday, Sept. 29 deadline. The Write to Connect author for Fall 2023 is Ana Aranda, whose picture book, Our Day of the Dead Celebration, was published last September by Penguin/Nancy Paulsen Books.

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August 24, 2023. Chicagoland students receive back-to-school gift of new backpack, supplies. Nearly 90 Chicagoland elementary school students were sporting brand-new backpacks, filled with an array of supplies, when they started school. The annual backpack donation program is coordinated by Follett's Content Business through Communities That Care, a Lake-Zurich based non-profit organization provides key resources to children in need of assistance. The 2023 campaign generated $2,000 in donations from Follett employees, which helped provide backpacks and supplies for approximately four classrooms in need this fall.

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August 21, 2023. Local organizations benefit with donations from Follett Employee Bookstore. Nearly $10,000 has been donated by Follett's Content Business to worthy causes and non-profit organizations in the community. The donations were made possible by the proceeds from sales at Edythe's Book Nook, the Follett employee bookstore that opened nine months ago.

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View All Follett News Announcements

Dec 07, 2022 Follett School Solutions acquires Access-It Software
Follett School Solutions has acquired Access-It Software, the global library management system provider with more than 4,000 customers in over 45 countries. The acquisition brings together two of the most complete and innovative solutions in the school library automation market.

Feb 02, 2022 Follett Higher Education acquired by investment group led by Jefferson River Capital
Follett Corporation today announced the sale of its corporate entity as well as Follett Higher Education, the company's collegiate retail and Follett ACCESS business, to a group of private investors led by Jefferson River Capital a private investment company controlled by the James family.

Nov 2021 Investor group led by CEO Aman Kochar acquires Baker & Taylor from Follett Corporation
Follett Corporation announced a change in ownership today of its Baker & Taylor division. Baker & Taylor, the world's premier distributor of physical and digital books and services to public and academic libraries will now operate as an independent, privately-owned entity after a divestiture to a private investment group led by President and CEO Aman Kochar.

Sep 01, 2021 Francisco Partners acquires Follett School Solutions
Follett Corporation sells Follett School Solutions, the company's K-12 software and content division, to Francisco Partners, a leading technology-focused global investment firm.

Sep 04, 2019 Britten Follett to lead its PreK-12 Business
Britten Follett to lead Follett School Solutions, the company's PreK-12 business. A fifth-generation family member, Follett has been promoted to Executive Vice President of Follett School Solutions. Follett most recently served as Senior Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Classroom Initiatives for Follett School Solutions, the leading provider of integrated content and technology solutions to the PreK-12 education space.

Dec 13, 2018 Follett acquires NextTier Education
Follett announced it has acquired NextTier Education, a cloud-based software solution that provides counselors, students, and parents with guidance, information and insight to help students achieve their postsecondary goals and ensure every student has equal access to higher education.

Jan 02, 2018 Patrick E. Connolly named as President and CEO of Follett Corporation
Patrick E. Connolly to succeed Griffith as President and CEO, effective January 2, 2018

Nov 16, 2016 Follett acquires Valore Inc.
Follett Corporation announced it has acquired Valore Inc. and the ValoreBooks marketplace solution for students and bookstores to buy, sell and rent college textbooks online. Combining the convenience of the ValoreBooks marketplace with the scope and capabilities of Follett will provide campus stores and students greater access to more affordable course material options.

Apr 18, 2016 Follett acquires Baker and Taylor from Castle Harlan
Follett Corporation acquired Baker & Taylor, the leading distributor of books, video and music products to public libraries and institutions, and a major wholesaler to retailers worldwide. With combined sales of $3.6 billion, the two businesses will offer librarians, patrons, educators and students unprecedented access to the best curated physical and digital content wherever learning and reading take place in the community.

Apr 15, 2016 Follett acquires Bookmasters
Follett Corporation acquired Bookmasters, one of the largest providers of integrated publisher services in the United States. Bookmasters is a strategic partner of Baker & Taylor, LLC, also acquired by Follett.

Mar 30, 2016 Follett acquires Wobo
Follett Corporation acquired Wobo, Inc., formerly Woody's Books, Inc., a leading service for independent managed campus stores to find and purchase books online in volume. The acquisition includes Wobo, Inc. assets including the BookVolume tool, enabling Follett Wholesale to leverage new technology in transforming the Wholesale business.

Feb 23, 2016 Follett acquires ClassBook
Follett acquired ClassBook, one of the K-12 education industry's leaders in customized online bookstores that serve schools, teachers, parents, and students. Founded in 1992 and based near Albany, N.Y.,ClassBook provides private and parochial schools with 24/7 bookstores, streamlining and personalizing the ordering and fulfillment process for print and digital textbooks.

Oct 22, 2015 Nader Qaimari named to lead Follett School Solutions Business
Qaimari has been promoted to Executive Vice President, Follett Corporation, and General Manager, Follett School Solutions. He also has been named to Follett's Executive Committee.

May 04, 2015 Follett appoints Ray A. Griffith as President and CEO
Follett Corporation announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Ray A. Griffith as the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He succeeds Mary Lee Schneider, who has retired from Follett as both President and Chief Executive Officer and Director.

Apr 11, 2015 Follett acquires Nebraska Book Company's retail store division
Follett Corporation and Nebraska Book Company purchased Neebo, Nebraska Book Company's retail store division. The agreement adds more than 200 complementary campus retail stores to Follett's portfolio, making Follett the operator of more than 1,150 local campus stores and 1,600 virtual stores across North America. For Nebraska Book Company, the agreement underscores its full commitment of resources to providing textbooks, strategic services and technology products to independent college retailers nationwide.

Feb 02, 2015 Follett acquires Advanced-Online
Follett acquired Advanced-Online, a leading ecommerce provider of branded merchandise store programs for education and corporate customers. Advanced-Online expands Follett’s portfolio of campus store services and solutions and complements the company’s extensive ecommerce capabilities.

Feb 02, 2015 Follett acquires Advanced-Online
Follett acquired Advanced-Online, a leading ecommerce provider of branded merchandise store programs for education and corporate customers. Advanced-Online expands Follett's portfolio of campus store services and solutions and complements the company's extensive ecommerce capabilities.

Apr 2014 Follett School Solutions, Inc. formed by merging Follett Educational Services, Follett Library Resources and Follett Software Company
In April 2014, Follett's PreK-12 businesses became one legal entity - Follett School Solutions, Inc. The new entity simplifies the customer experience and enhances Follett's offerings by integrating the content, technology, and services previously offered by three separate businesses: Follett Educational Services, Follett Library Resources and Follett Software Company.

Apr 2014 Follett Educational Services, Follett Library Resources and Follett Software Company merged to form Follett School Solutions

Mar 2014 Follett Corporation and Follett Higher Education relocate to Three Westbrook Corporate Center
In March 2014, approximately 750 employees from the Company's corporate office and higher education businesses at Chicago-area suburban operations in Oak Brook, Westmont and River Grove relocated to Three Westbrook Corporate Center, a 160,000 square-foot tower in Westchester, IL.

Jan 27, 2014 Todd Litzsinger named chairman of the Board of Directors for Follett Corporation
Litzsinger joined Follett in 1992 and has served on the Board since 2003. He has held a series of increasingly responsible leadership positions with the Company, most recently President of Content Solutions and Services for Follett School Solutions, the Company's PreK-12 business. Litzsinger's career with Follett includes roles in the Company's PreK-12 school and library market, including President of Follett Library Resources, President of Follett Educational Services, President of BWI, and National Sales Director for Custom Academic Publishing Company (CAPCO), a joint venture with BMI Systems. Prior to Follett, he worked for Jostens, the school yearbook and ring company.

Sep 05, 2013 Follett sells BWI assetts to Baker & Taylor
Follett Corporation and Baker & Taylor announced the sale of certain assets of Book Wholesalers, Inc., to Baker & Taylor. BWI is a Follett Corporation company that specializes in providing children's and young adult books and audiovisual materials to public libraries. This transaction is the result of a strategic decision by the Follett School & Library Group to concentrate on the PreK-12 market. For Follett, Baker & Taylor's already powerful public library offerings made it the best choice to acquire these BWI assets.

Apr 08, 2013 Follett Corporation acquires BetterKnow
Follett Corporation acquired BetterKnow, Inc. a provider of tools and technology to the higher education marketplace. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. BetterKnow's products, combined with Follett's footprint on more than 1,000 college and university campuses in North America, will provide instructors and students broader, more affordable access to course materials

Nov 2012 Mary Lee Schneider elected President and Chief Executive Officer of Follett Corporation
Schneider is an 11-year veteran on the Follett Board of Directors. She is widely recognized as a digital innovator and a visionary leader – a result of her extensive experience in digital publishing and leadership positions. Schneider comes to Follett from Chicago-based RR Donnelley, where she recently was President, Digital Solutions and Chief Technology Officer. [From company Web page]

Jan 2012 Chuck Follett retires as President and CEO of Follett Corporation
Chuck Follett, President and CEO of Follett Corporation, announced his decision to retire after 38 years of service with the company. Follett served as President of Follett Technology Solutions and International Group. Between 2000 and 2005, he served as Executive Vice President of Follett Library and School Group and Vice President of Technology for Follett Corporation. In 1985, Mr. Follett founded Follett Software Company and served for the next 15 years as its President.

Nov 2011 Follett Higher Education Group builds new distribution center in Aurora, IL
Follett Higher Education Group, the leading provider of college store and used book services, today announced its investment in a new distribution center in Aurora, Ill. that will enable the company to continue to grow its business and lead the industry. The 551,200-square-foot structure will increase Follett's processing productivity to make more books available for wholesale and direct-to-consumer orders. The facility was located at 2805 Duke Pkwy, Aurora, IL 60569.

Apr 2011 Alison O’Hara was named Chairman of the Board of Follett Corporation
In April 2011, Alison O’Hara was named Chairman of the Board. Prior to becoming Chairman, she served as Assistant General Counsel of Follett and was a member of the company’s Board of Directors for 11 years. Under O’Hara’s direction, the Board is undergoing another transformation, bringing in outside directors that bring the expertise to lead Follett into the digital future.

Oct 04, 2010 Follett Software Company acquires X2 Development Corporation
Follett Software Company announced that it has acquired X2 Development Corporation, a leading Student Information System provider for K-12 school districts in the United States and abroad. The acquisition includes the Aspen Student Information System, a popular Web-based solution that simplifies school district data management through the integration of key K-12 applications. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Jun 2010 Chuck Follett becomes Chief Executive officer of Follett Corporation

Mar 24, 2008 Follett Corporation acquires Fourteen40 Inc, including social networking solution CafeScribe
Follett Corporation today announced the acquisition of technology firm Fourteen40 Inc., an innovator of Web 2.0 social networking for collaborative learning. The acquisition includes Fourteen40's social networking solution called CafeScribe (http://www.CafeScribe.com), an online site at which students can browse, purchase and download eBooks that they need for class. Once the eBook is downloaded, the students use a digital content reader called MyScribe to easily read and annotate the eBook, search the Internet and share notes with others as they study. The social networking tools within CafeScribe give students the option to invite others into the virtual equivalent of study groups. CaféScribe is an e-book marketplace and social network for students to study smarter and faster. The CaféScribe.com website and MyScribe client reading application are creations of Fourteen40, Inc. Fourteen40 derives its name from the year 1440 when Gutenberg invented the printing press. Gutenberg's invention ushered in a new age of learning and discovery. Today, Fourteen40 is taking electronic books to the next level through the power of collaborative note sharing networks, innovative content indexing tools, and the most intuitive reading interface in the market.

Feb 25, 2008 Follett Corporation acquires Varsity Group Inc.
Varsity Group, a provider of online textbook sales and services to educational institutions nationwide, today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with a subsidiary of Follett Corporation, the nation's largest provider of library materials and library technology to K-12 schools, the leading operator of college bookstores and a major distributor of textbooks to institutions at all levels of education. Pursuant to the merger agreement, Follett will acquire all outstanding shares of Varsity Group for $0.20 per share in cash.

Aug 26, 2006 Follett acquires TetraData Corporation
Follett Software Company acquired TetraData Corporation. TetraData is the premier provider of data warehousing, analysis and reporting solutions for K-12 school districts. TetraData solutions, which are installed in more than 300 school districts nationwide, facilitate No Child Left Behind reporting as well as data driven decision making to help educators achieve high performance and improved student outcomes.

Jul 27, 2006 Follett Software Company acquires library automation division of Sagebrush Corporation
Follett Software Company purchased the automation division of Sagebrush Corporation, taking ownership of its line of products including InfoCentre, Winnebago Spectrum, Athena, and Accent. The sale does not include the former Sagebrush Corporations business activities related to book publishing, library services, and the Viewpoint product.

Jun 2006 Sagebrush spins off Sagebrush Educational Resources as a separate company
Sagebrush reorganizes, separating Sagebrush Educational Resources activities including Sagebrush books and Library Services into a new company.

Jun 2006 Follett Corporation acquires Sagebrush Corporation
Follett Corporation acquires Sagebrush Corporation. The newly formed separate company was not part of the sale.

Oct 2005 Sagebrush releases InfoCentre
Sagebrush releases InfoCentre, its next-generation library automation system.

Jun 2003 Follett sells interest in Library Systems and Services to company founders

May 2003 Follett Media Distribution merged with BWI
Follett Library and School Group Follett Media Distributio, a distributor of video, DVD, CD-ROM, audiobooks, and compact discs, with BWI, a distributor of children's and young adult book titles.

Jan 01, 2003 Follett Software Company launches Destiny
Follett Software Company launches Destiny library management system.

Apr 2001 Mark Litzsinger elected Chairman of Follett Corporation
In April 2001, Ken Hull retired and Mark Litzsinger was elected Chairman of Follett Corporation.

Nov 18, 2000 Christopher Traut named Chief Executive Officer of Follett Corporation
Christopher Traut, a fourth-generation Follett family member becomes CEO of Follett Corporation. Christopher Traut will succeed Kenneth J. Hull as Chief Executive Officer of Follett Corporation. Chris will report directly to the Board and have full responsibility for managing the strategic direction and financial results of Follett Corporation. In addition, he will oversee the corporate office including finance, legal, human resources, technology and family and shareholder relations.

Aug 1999 Sagebrush Technologies acquires Winnebago Software Company
Sagebrush Technologies announces it will acquire Winnebago Software Company. Jeb Griffith exits. Sagebrush now employs 600 with $75 million revenue.

1999 Follett Media Distribution established
The division will be led by William N. Frank as President

1999 Launch of efollett.com, an Internet-based textbook sales site

Sep 1998 Sagebrush acquires Nichols Advanced Technologies
Sagebrush acquires Nichols Advanced Technologies from Bruce Butler.

Apr 01, 1998 Follett Corporation acquires Custom Academic Publishing Company
Follett Corporation acquired Custom Academic Publishing Company (CAPCO), a nationwide publisher of custom course anthologies and manager of intellectual property. Now known as Follett Custom Publishing, the wholly owned subsidiary will reside under the Follett Higher Education Group.

Apr 01, 1998 Follett Corporation creates Custom Publishing Division
Follett Corporation acquired Custom Academic Publishing Company (CAPCO), a nationwide publisher of custom course anthologies and manager of intellectual property. Now known as Follett Custom Publishing, the wholly owned subsidiary will reside under the Follett Higher Education Group.

Jan 01, 1998 Follett releases Windows versions of Circulation Plus, Catalog Plus, and Alliance Plus.
Follett releases Windows versions of Circulation Plus, Catalog Plus, and Alliance Plus.

Jan 01, 1998 Thomas J. Schenck named president of Follett Software Company.
Thomas J. Schenck named president of Follett Software Company.

Sep 1997 Nichols Advanced Technologies acquires Scribe
Nichols Advanced Technologies acquires Scribe and its Media One and Innovation Plus library automation systems for schools. Kurt Parks was president of Scribe.

1997 TetraData Corporation Founded
Peter Waldschmidt and John Greene and founded TetraData Corporation in 1997. Waldschmidt served as its Chief Technology Officer.

1997 Follett acquires Book Wholesalers, Inc. (BWI) which distributes children's books to public libraries

1997 Ken Hull becomes President and CEO of Follett Corporation
Ken Hull became the company's first non-family CEO

1997 Follett Library Resources moves to new facility in McHenry, IL
In November 1997, Follett Library Resources growth required a new state of the art facility that was built at 1340 Ridgeview Drive, McHenry, Illinois.

Nov 1996 Follett Corporation acquires half interest in LSSI
From managing electronic resources, to streamlining daily functions such as cataloging and processing, today's libraries are seeking new, cost-effective management solutions. Library Systems & Services and The Follett Corporation have joined forces to give library administrators a single point of contact for solutions to these pressing issues.

Jan 01, 1994 Sagebrush acquires Catalog Card Company
Sagebrush acquires 100% of Catalog Card Company from NCS for $2.35 million. Catalog Card Company operates under the name Library Services Company

Jan 01, 1994 Follett Software Company moves into new headquarters in McHenry, IL
Follett Software Company moves into new headquarters in McHenry, IL for its 275 employees.

1994 Follett Library Book Company renamed Follett Library Resources
Follett Library Book Company became Follett Library Resources to reflect the expanding realm of products and services available to its customers

Jan 01, 1993 Nichols Advanced Technologies announce Windows based Athena
Nichols Advanced Technologies Inc. today announced Athena, a library automation system with a graphical user interface for Windows, Macintosh and MS-DOS networks. Athena provides circulating, searching (OPAC), full MARC cataloging and related functions.

Jun 1985 Follett acquires Library Software Company
Follett acquires Library Software Company from Bob Skapura and Joe Ward

1985 Follett acquires chain of 35 college bookstores
Date approximate

1983 Esquire Education Group acquires Follett Publishing Company
Follett Publishing Company was sold for $10 million

Jan 01, 1982 Winnebago Software Company founded by George B. (Jeb) Griffith

1979 RJR Follett named Chair of Follett Corporation board of directors

1977 Dick Litzsinger named President and CEO of Follett Corporation
Dick Litzsinger was named president and CEO in 1977. Dick Litzsinger was married to Dona Follett, daughter of Robert Follett.

1974 Follett Library Book Company and its bindery relocated to combined at a facility in Crystal Lake, Illinois
Since its founding, Follett Library Book Company office was located on 1000 West Washington Boulevard in Chicago with the other Follett businesses. The company had a bindery located in Batavia, Illinois. In 1974 both the bindery and the company were combined at a facility at 4506 Northwest Hwy. Crystal Lake, IL

1964 Follett Educational Foundation established as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

1957 Wilcox & Follett reincorporated as Follett Corporation

1952 Dwight Follett becomes chairman of Follett

1940 Garth Follett created Follett Library Book Company

1930 Robert D. Follett founds the Follett College Book Company
In 1930, R.D. Follett founded the Follett College Book Company and began wholesaling used textbooks to professors and college bookstores.

1925 Dwight Follett founds the Follett Publishing Company

1923 Charles W. Follett and Edythe Follet purchase J.W. Wilcox & Follett Company
Upon the death of John Wilcox in 1923, Charles W. Follett and his wife Edythe Follett purchased full ownership of the company, which continued to operate under the name Wilcox & Follett.

1918 Charles W. Follett becomes manager of J.W. Wilcox & Follett Company

1873 Predecessor of Follett Corporation founded in 1873 by Charles M. Barnes as a used book store in Wheaton, Illinois

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2022 Follett Accomplishments Narrative

This year we continued to improve our Destiny Discover interface making it more customizable for our k-12 schools. We have also improved our genre experience, allowing librarians to report what materials are in those genres easily. Finally, we improved our integration with Mackin digital products. This improvement allows digital materials to be brought into destiny automatically. These improvements were all based on suggestions from our amazing customer base.

[View Narrative for 2020] [View Narrative for 2019] [View Narrative for 2018] [View Narrative for 2016] [View Narrative for 2015] [View Narrative for 2014] [View Narrative for 2013] [View Narrative for 2012] [View Narrative for 2011] [View Narrative for 2010] [View Narrative for 2009] [View Narrative for 2008] [View Narrative for 2008] [View Narrative for 2007] [View Narrative for 2005]