It’s Sunday again, and time for my last regular post before the start of, “The Purple Library: Remarkable is Knocking” mini-blog series. Today’s post is a bit lighter from the others, but is a topic I hold dear to my heart.
The topic is my frustration with Interlibrary Loan (ILL) bags. Yes, here in the state of Michigan we still use Jiffylite, Unline, and other padded mailers for our state-wide ILL system. This means when a delivery of books comes in, you need to bust out the scissors and/or staple remover.
Maybe this subject is so dear to my heart since I’ve received multiple wounds due to the excessive use of staples. Frustrated librarians must take out all aggression when packaging books by pounding staples in every centimeter. I have seen over 8 staples used to hold a bag together along with packaging tape (for that extra security). How much time is this costing your library?
Quick formula: 1.5 minutes * Daily ILL Books Processed = X
So, what is the solution? You have two options:
Option A:
Stay with the classic bubble wrapped folder. It’s nice and cheap, but quickly wears out forcing you to buy another batch in bulk. Time to open depends on how excessively well the lending library decides to package a book.
Option B:
The polyester bags with zippers! It costs more initially, but after the first purchase you have a bag for life. If partnering with multiple libraries you can get some great discounts. They open and close in seconds and include the extra perk of not worrying about stabbing yourself with a staple. Not to mention it’s an environmentally friendly solution.
I would love to see a day when ALL libraries go with option B. But until that time happens, I’d like to lay down some ILL packaging etiquette:
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Don’t use 8 staples when 3 will do.
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High-Capacity Staples are overkill.
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Staples OR Tape… not Staples AND Tape.
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Package it as if you’re receiving it.
Finally, there is one downfall to option B- getting your mailer back. Which is why the adoption of such a bag would have to be endorsed on a consortium level. Has any library out there had success in this area? If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments or by email.
Bookmark to:
And don’t you just love those Jiffy bags with all the powdery padding? It’s inevitably spread all over everything.
Oh, tell me about it. The thought of it makes me hold my breath. What’s even better is if it’s a reused one- so you can’t use that convenient (?) side opening.