Follett Corporation

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Follett Corporation is an Illinois-based company that provides a variety of book-related services to schools, colleges, and public libraries through its subsidiaries.

[edit] History

In 1901, C.W. Follett began working as a stock clerk for a small mail-order book company in Chicago, C.M. Barnes & Company, which had been founded in 1873 by Charles M. Barnes. In 1902, Barnes retired, and his son William took over the company. By now the company had evolved into a wholesaler, selling used books throughout the Midwest.

In 1908, John Wilcox, William Barnes' father-in-law became the majority shareholder and the company was renamed C.M. Barnes - Wilcox Company. In 1912 Follett became vice president. In 1917 Barnes sold his remaining interest in the company to John Wilcox. (Later that year he would travel to New York to partner with G. Clifford Noble and found Barnes & Noble)

In 1918 Follett took over management as Wilcox was nearing retirement, and the company was again renamed, this time to J.W. Wilcox & Follett Company. The company is currently known as Follett Corporation, but it is unclear from available resources when this took effect.

[edit] Operating units

  • Follett Higher Education Group operates college bookstores at 775 campuses in the United States
  • Follett Library Resources provides K-12 school libraries with fulfillment services for books and other materials.
  • Follett Software Company provides automation solutions to K-12 school libraries.
  • Follett Educational Services buys and sells used textbooks from schools.
  • Book Wholesalers, Inc. (BWI) provides public libraries with fulfillment services for books and other materials.

[edit] External links