[ILL-L] Who in your library packages your ILL materials?

[Laura Barnard]

Carol,

We are a public library, filling just over 20,000 ILL's (copies and loans) per year.

We have a page in ILL who wraps all the packages and labels them, delivers to the mail room (where they are metered) or to the loading dock for the courier pickup.  He also retrieves all incoming mail from the courier drop spot and the mail room, opens all packages, and sorts the material.  He is a full time employee, spending perhaps 70-80% of his time on these tasks. 

About 20 years ago the material was sent to the mail room for packaging, much as you describe your process.  The wrapping was brought into the ILL unit because our department manager at the time felt it  would give us more control over our turn-around-time. 


Laura Barnard
Interlibrary Loans
Seattle Public Library (UOK)
206-386-4601
ill at spl.org

>>> "Reese, Carol L" <cdixo1 at uis.edu> 6/24/2008 8:59 AM >>>
I was hoping to find out from some of you how packaging of ILL materials
are handled in your library.

Here at UIS, the staff in the library mail room (bibliographic
services/acquisitions staff) have done this for longer than I've been
here (which is 13 years.) Here in ILL, we type a mailing label and
include it with the book. Then the library mail room staff put the books
in boxes or bags and tape them up. Then they are ready for the campus
mail room staff to pick up with all the other mail the library sends
out.

I was wondering how many libraries have the ILL department actually
packaging up the books and how many libraries have a mail room doing the
packaging? Any responses would be appreciated.

Carol Reese
Interlibrary Loans
University of Illinois at Springfield
LIB 207
One University Plaza, MS BRK 140
Springfield, IL 62703-5407
reese.carol at uis.edu {or} lib-ill at uis.edu 
(217) 206-6601
(217) 206-6208 (Fax)