[Publib] Discontinuing Fax Service

[Lisa Guidarini]

We don't even offer a public fax service here. We direct patrons to
local places, such as the shipping stores, that also do faxing. That's
been the policy since I've been here, so I'm not sure it was ever
considered. 

Lisa Guidarini
Adult Program Coordinator
Algonquin Area Public Library District


At 04:11 PM 9/2/2009, Michelle Mears wrote:
>Sorry to be bugging you again.  But this is a time-sensitive 
>question and I need some input before my Board meeting next week.
>
>If any libraries have discontinued your public fax service, can you 
>share the reasons why or your motivation for doing so?  I am leaning 
>very heavily towards stopping it, but I want to be sure I'm not 
>going too far out on a limb.
>
>Seems as if libraries started offering public fax service as a way 
>to justify getting and using a fax machine for their own library 
>business, particularly when so much of ILL was done over fax.  Like, 
>hey let's do this and we can recoup some of the costs while we're at 
>it (no library I know makes a profit at faxing).  But now I just see 
>it as a strain on my already overloaded staff and sort of unfair 
>competition with local businesses who charge a lot more.  And faxers 
>(like copiers) often come in just to do this one thing and are not 
>utilizing any other part of the library.
>
>Is scanning and e-mailing replacing the old-fashioned fax, or is it 
>still a necessary business machine?
>
>Michelle
>-----
>Michelle R. Mears, MSLIS, PhD
>Library Director
>Public Library of Enid & Garfield County
>120 W. Maine Ave.
>Enid, OK 73701-5606
>580.234.6313 Phone
>580.249.9280 Fax
>620.506.8576 Mobile
>http://www.enid.org/library/