At WiLS, we want to bring valuable information to our library partners, including information about the missions and big ideas of the vendors they may already do business with. Each month, WiLS interviews a vendor partner in order to bridge the gap and open the door to valuable collaborations. This month, we share insights from Bob Whitbeck, Outside Sales Consultant with Follett, a new WiLS vendor partner!
Tell us about your company’s background.
Follett has been a trusted partner to PreK-12 schools, districts and college campuses for more than 140 years, taking care of the critical details that make it easier for schools to run, teachers to teach and students to learn.
Every day, we serve over half of the students in the United States and work with 80,000 schools as a leading provider of education technology, services and print and digital content. We’re higher education’s largest campus retailer and a hub for school spirit and community as we operate nearly 1,200 local campus stores and over 1,600 virtual stores across the continent.
Our vantage point and presence in the market – from early childhood all the way through higher education – gives us a unique perspective to know what teachers are teaching and how students are learning; to know what professors are adopting; to know what college students are buying; and to know how they are acquiring content and interacting with new technologies and retail environments available to them.
We’re more than just a book company: we’re a gateway to knowledge—harnessing our insights to help improve student outcomes and shape the future of education as we know it.
Why do you, personally, choose to work with libraries?
My first job in college was working the circulation desk at the University of Minnesota’s Wilson Library. Whether working or studying, the library has always been and continues to be my retreat for uninterrupted time to get things done. When a position with Follett came along, supporting school libraries was an obvious choice for me.
Today, I count myself fortunate to be a part of the leading provider of PreK-12 print and digital content. The wide breadth of Follett products and services puts me in position to help nearly every Library Media Specialist I visit.
I get a sense of personal satisfaction when I can show a customer a new or innovative approach to a problem. Helping customers meet their students’ and teachers’ needs or simply helping stretch resources and save time gives me great joy.
I enjoy sharing ideas, picking up learning and passing on best practices and celebrating successes with the Media Specialists I work with.
What do you like to know about the libraries you work with? What helps you better understand their needs?
The demands on school libraries are ever changing. I strive to stay on top of new trends or planned changes to the collection, the curriculum or patron usage to provide the highest level of knowledgeable service and support to my customers. If a Library Media Specialist is considering a new approach or innovative program, I share my expertise on how Follett might assist in meeting their objectives cost-effectively. Every day I learn something new from the Library Media Specialists across Wisconsin. Understanding their priorities, needs and pain points helps me align Follett products and services to save customers’ time and resources.
What big ideas are being worked on at your company? What problems are being solved?
Follett School Solutions (FSS) is a company known for innovation, quality products and excellent service. As a leading provider of educational content and technology to the PreK-12 schools and districts, we see ourselves as partners to educators across Wisconsin and elsewhere. FSS listens closely to its customers and education stakeholders to help address their evolving needs. One important trend we’ve identified is the need for more OER – Openly Licensed Educational Resources. In response, FSS coordinated with U.S. Department of Education to provide access to a vast variety of engaging OER content via Destiny® Library ManagerTM. In addition, we developed a Destiny DiscoverTM Google Chrome Browser Extension for our Destiny Library Manager customers that enables patrons to quickly search for vetted content in their school’s Destiny Library Management system when using Google Search.
Another important need we are working to address is a greater ability to access and share resources between public school and public library collections. Our recent acquisition of Baker & Taylor will help us accomplish this capability in the near future. For example, when students break for summer, we want to support public libraries that provide content for summer reading programs and other PreK-12 instructional needs using technology to provide seamless connections.
FSS also expanded its menu of LightboxTM (interactive multimedia) product line, which won a Best of Show Award at ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) in early July. Last year, we launched titles for K-3, and this year we’ve added middle school and high school content that includes companion Lightbox titles for major novels like To Kill a Mockingbird for greater engagement with enhanced learning and instruction.
How can librarians become partners in product or training development?
We see school librarians as the master curators of content aligned to meet the instructional goals and standards within the school. Therefore, we have developed a new Professional Development Program for school librarians. This program aligns with our support of the Future Ready Schools (FRS) initiative developed by U.S. Department of Education and Alliance for Excellent Education. Earlier this year, we lobbied to have FRS framework rewritten to include the leadership role of school librarians as an integral part of process of creating and managing school-wide and district-wide digital learning environments.
Do you have anything else you’d like to share here?
Thank you to WiLS for choosing FSS as a trusted business partner in education. We look forward to serving your needs to support school libraries and classrooms throughout the state of Wisconsin by helping the students of today become life-long learners and leaders of tomorrow.
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This interview is part of a series of interviews with both WiLS library and vendor partners. Your feedback is appreciated. If you have any to offer on this article, or suggestions for upcoming interviews, contact Andrea Coffin at acoffin@wils.org.