Amazon’s Library Hub is changing the way librarians do business and revolutionizing the process of procuring books. Amazon Business for Libraries has created a suite of customer-first solutions, including transpar- ent pricing without contracts, no minimum spend, and trusted delivery infrastructure. While MARC records has expanded attribute information, the 9xx Grid feature enables libraries to input branch-specific metadata into their Integrated Library System (ILS). And these improvements? They’re being built from direct librarian feedback.
“Customer feedback has been the foundation of everything we’ve built,” says Prasanna Somasundaram, the brand’s executive voice for library engagement. The goal has been to remove industry pain points, championing customer-first innovation over reactive positioning. “Libraries told us what they needed, and we built the Library Hub to serve those needs with dedicated and transparent pricing, no contracts, no minimum spend, and no surcharges,” Somasundaram added. “To delight our customers and improve the ordering experience for librarians, we wanted to move away from traditional barriers to entry like contracts, processing fees, and order minimums.”
Over 5,000 libraries have joined Amazon Business, and there has been a surge in new customers since the launch of the Library Hub in June 2025. But Tarita Murray, head of library sales, is not one to rest on early success. Murray, who has over a decade of experience in library book sales, says Amazon Business is focused on staying responsive to customers in order to best serve the full range of library institutions.
“The most significant takeaway has been understanding the diversity of library needs,” Murray explains. “What works for a small rural library serving a few thousand patrons differs from what a large metropolitan system requires, yet both deserve the same level of service and access to features. Our approach is to build a foundation that works for everyone, then layer in capabilities that address more complex needs.” To that end, electronic data interchange (EDI) ordering and enhanced ILS integrations are new features, and Amazon Business is ready to engage customers for EDI ordering now.
The Grids feature, launched in December 2025, enables libraries to configure information such as branch location, collection codes, and fund codes once, then download ILS-ready records, thus eliminating manual data entry. Early adopters find that Grids greatly streamlines cataloging, says Priya Bradley, Head of Tech Services at Levittown PL. “Instead of manually editing each MARC record after purchase, they’re downloading records that are ready to upload directly into their ILS,” Bradley elaborates. “For libraries processing hundreds or thousands of titles, this saves substantial time.”
Indeed, ease of use and speedy processing is key, says Trina Reed, director of Levittown (NY) Public Library. “Amazon is continuously improving its ordering system and tailoring it for libraries,” she says. Serving a suburban Long Island community, Levittown transitioned to Amazon Business for Libraries for procurement a year ago. “Materials are arriving on time,” Reed says, “and we can prep the items, allowing them to be in our patrons’ hands as quickly as possible.”
Discovery is key in libraries, and Amazon Business has integrated this essential experience into the product. Library Hub is a dedicated space where librarians can find sharply priced books with recommendations built specifically for libraries, Somasundaram says, with future developments set to enable personalization and curation.
“We want to help librarians discover titles that match their community’s interests and collection development goals,” he says. “The key is balancing algorithmic recommendations with librarian expertise—technology should augment, not replace, professional judgment.”
The best discovery tools understand context, Murray says. “As we develop Library Hub, we’re thinking about how to surface relevant recommendations based on library type, circulation patterns, and community demographics.”
With a close eye on library circulation, the executives have a line on what’s hot. So what’s trending among readers? Fantasy, science fiction, and mystery are top circulation categories. “There’s also growing interest in diverse voices and perspectives, which libraries are actively curating to reflect their communities,” Somasundaram says.
The bottom line for the industry is to support the mission of libraries. “The most important thing vendors can do is treat libraries as the essential public institutions they are,” Murray says, noting that the broader public can support libraries by advocating for funding. Meanwhile, Somasundaram is focused on “building a product that meets and exceeds our partner libraries’ stated needs by providing stellar service through budget cycles and evolving requirements.” With transparent, competitive pricing, Amazon Business gives libraries one of the most essential things: the ability to maximize a stretched budget.
