[Publib] RE: Public fax service through Televend

[Christopher F. Bowen]

The Downers Grove Public Library has offered public fax service through Televend for several years. Our goal was to offer the service as a convenience to the public, as long as it did not require the use of any library resources -- including staff time. Televend has fulfilled this perfectly. The service is totally self-service and it really works. We have very few requests for assistance in using the fax machine. Far less than the copying machines, for example. We choose to allow incoming faxes (an option). However the patron has to arrange for the fax to be sent at a specific time and be there to pick it up. We do not take any responsibility for faxes left in the machine. 

Use has been steady, though not terribly high. I expected use to drop due to the Internet, but so far we have not seen any change. We average about $18 per month in commission, enough to pay for the phone line, which is the only expense related to the service. (You can choose to piggy-back on another lightly used library line such as a TDD line to avoid this cost, but I didn't want to risk tying up that line.) You can choose to sell phone cards for payment, but we require patrons to use their own credit card in order to avoid tying up staff time with these transactions. No complaints about this. The fax machine is in the main lobby near the circulation desk, so we can see the patrons using the machine, but it has required almost no staff interaction. 

To give you a context, we are a single library that serves a population of about 48,000, with around 700,000 visitors per year, 960,000 annual circulation.


Christopher F. Bowen
Library Director
Downers Grove Public Library
1050 Curtiss Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515-4606
630-963-2595


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Subject: [Publib] Public Fax Services
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I'm looking for any feedback from libraries who are offering or have 
offered faxing services to the public.  Has anyone used Televend Services, 
Inc.?  Any and all responses would be appreciated!