[ILL-L] Cost cutting measures for interlibrary loan service?...has anyone put a list of measures to take on the listserv?

[Campbell, Heather]

Seriously- for just a moment- JPL's ILL spent last year looking for ways
to trim down our workflow and cut costs. 

*         Some measures were made necessary when we lost a staff member:

o        We changed the way we returned other libraries' items dropped
off in our book drops. If the item was from a local library, the library
was contacted and given a week to pick the items up from the library.
After a week, we considered the item/s a donation. We used our in-state
courier service for in-state libraries, the US Mail for out-of-state
libraries.

o        Another clerk and I split Lending duties.  I process in-state
requests that we use the courier for. She processes out-of-state
requests and other requests that go out via US Mail.  

o        I help with Lending overdues. It's a bit more structured now
and we've identified delinquent borrowers and cut off loans to them.
Borrowers are more responsive to our invoices.

o        The number of reports I do was greatly reduced.  I used to give
Collection Development information about collection gaps but -since we
didn't have the budget to purchase items to fill the gaps- that
information wasn't viewed as helpful.

 

*         If the item isn't available at the Main Library- where we're
located- the request can't be filled.  Main Library departments pull the
books and copy articles for us. Due to bandwidth problems affecting
processing, the deadline for the fills was moved up by 3 hours.

*         We added language to book labels and to the website to clarify
the policy and procedures for customers.

*         Customers now have to pre-pay for items if there's any lending
fees involved.

*         We use a Wiki as a centralized place for our step-by-step
procedures and most used forms.

*         The handling of overdues in Borrowing has changed. My staff
used to call customers again and again over a period of time to get
items back.  Now a significant default replacement charge is put on
delinquent customers' library card accounts which brings them to the
Collection Agency's attention. Customers have been more responsive.

*         We volunteered to be beta testers for a newer version of our
Internet Management software. The newer software had increased our
accuracy rates for discharges.

*         We also used to handle JPL's Books By Mail service.  The
service was discontinued at the beginning of this fiscal year. There was
a savings of staff time, supplies, and postage.  There is also a
potential quicker turnaround time for books since -because of mailing
time- the check out period for Books By Mail customers was longer.

*         We practice green intiatives - using the other side of the
paper whenever possible, et al.

 

Heather Campbell, Senior Librarian

Manager- Interlibrary Loan 

Jacksonville Public Library (JPL)

303 North Laura Street

Jacksonville, FL 32202-3505 heatherc at coj.net  (904) 630-2986

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:ill-l-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Sears, Patsy
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2009 11:48 AM
To: Interlibrary Loan Listserv
Subject: Re: [ILL-L] Cost cutting measures for interlibrary loan
service?...has anyone put a list of measures to take on the listserv?

 

 

________________________________

To: Interlibrary Loan Listserv

Subject: Cost cutting measures for interlibrary loan service?...has
anyone put a list of measures to take on the listserv?

 

 

If anyone has read an article or created an original list, could you
share with at the University of Montevallo.  We are fairly broke.

Thank you!

 

Patsy Sears  Associate Professor   University of Montevallo

Searp at montevallo.edu

 

 

 

 

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