[ILL-L] Seeking tips and tricks to ease Postage Woes

[Sue Kaler]

Hi,

Postage woes is certainly correct.  Library Mail rate is, indeed, going up 
again this May 12.  One pound will be $2.12.  It's $2.02 now and it was 
$1.51 before the last rate increase in spring of 2007.  That means it will 
have gone up 40% in a little over a year.  Meanwhile, my postage budget has 
not increased by anywhere near that much.

While UPS is a good value for money when you look at the automatic insurance 
and traceability, we just don't have money in the budget to send everything 
UPS.  We only do it when we feel it is necessary or it is demanded by the 
lender.

What this all means is that we are lending less than we could.  There are 
occasions when something is available, but we just say No.  We still lend to 
all parts of the United States and Canada, but certainly not every time we 
would be able to do so.  And, that's this year, with this year's rates.  I 
don't know what we'll do next year.  Maybe the volume discounts will make 
the increase from $2.02 to $2.12 be a wash and we'll be no worse off over 
all (although still a LOT worse off than last year.)

What distresses me the most about all of this is the attitude I'm picking up 
from various sources that Library Rate is not important to the Post Office.  
I had just begun to gather up some names of people at ALA, PLA, MLA, RUSA 
STARS, the congressional oversight committee, etc. so the ILL community 
could start to advocate for no further increase in May 2009.  Is anyone 
aware of any efforts in this direction?
 
Sue Kaler
Interlibrary Loan Supervisor
Wellesley Free Library
530 Washington Street
Wellesley, MA 02482
OCLC symbol MLN
skaler at minlib.net
voice (781)235-1610 x1112, fax (781)237-4875

When responding, please be advised that the Town of Wellesley has 
determined that email could be considered a public record.




-----Original Message-----
From: "Elizabeth H. Davis" <davis454 at erau.edu>
To: <ill-l at webjunction.org>
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 2008 08:35:32 -0400
Subject: [ILL-L] Seeking tips and tricks to ease Postage Woes


Hello!
 
I don't believe that has been discussed recently*, but considering the 
rising costs of mailing packages to other libraries, does anyone have any 
tips, tricks, or ideas on how to save on US postage costs?
 
I'm going to go ahead and spread a wide net here -- even if something isn't 
relevant to me, something might be relevant to another person on this list.  
I will be more than happy to post a summary to the list.
 
So if there is anything you did that helped save some money on postage costs 
-- please let me know!  Feel free to email me directly or respond to the 
list.
 
(*And if this has been discussed in the last six months, but I was too 
involved to notice it, let me know as well!)
 
Thanks!
 
Liz Davis
ILL Librarian - FER
Hunt Library
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
phone:  386-323-8774
fax: 386-226-7040
ARIEL: 155.31.25.32
email: Elizabeth.Davis at erau.edu 
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