[ILL-L] UPS only or are you flexible?

[Joe Ellison]

At 10:50 AM 8/1/2007, you wrote:
>Hi all,
>
>I just received a question from another list and thought I would ask 
>you all. I've wondered this too so figured this would be a good 
>chance to clear things up for me.
>
>When you request items you've loaned to be returned to your library 
>by a specific ground transport company, do you have a problem with 
>libraries when they return items by another ground transport company.
>
>The person asking said they get a lot of requests to return items by 
>UPS, but their mail room doesn't use UPS any longer, just FedEx.
>
>Is a different company a major problem for you or does it not matter?
>
>Thanks!
>
>Peg
>The Master's College Library
>_______________________________________________

For me it wouldn't matter. The point is to use a trackable, 
reasonably speedy ground courier rather than USPS library rate. I 
would find even USPS Priority with tracking acceptable if the 
borrower simply couldn't use any of the commercial couriers.

It might matter to an institution that only gets regular delivery 
from UPS (or whichever other courier they've specified). It would 
certainly matter if the lending institution was paying for the return 
shipping on their own account with the courier, since they would have 
provided the appropriate account information. In that case, as the 
lender, I would appreciate a call or email from the borrower before 
they shipped, just in case their chosen shipper doesn't deliver 
regularly to my library.

I would ultimately be more concerned about the packaging, since many 
times a request to return via ground courier is based on the 
condition and value of the books. I'd rather receive well-packed 
books in the mail than ill-packed ones (old broken box, torn 
envelope, etc) via courier. Since most of the couriers provide their 
branded shipping materials free, it's easy to pack well for them.


Joe Ellison
Document Delivery Assistant, Transportation Library (OCLC symbol JCR)
Northwestern University Library, 1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston, IL  60208-2300
phone: (847)491-8600, fax: (847)491-8601
j-ellison at northwestern.edu
ARIEL: 129.105.19.35 or staff019035.library.northwestern.edu
Visit the Transportation Library: 
http://www.library.northwestern.edu/transportation