Guidelines for Delivery

(Approved by Executive Board March 5. 1999)

The Purpose of Regional Delivery is:

• To provide a means for library patrons to receive materials at their library which have been borrowed on interlibrary loan from other libraries.
  
• To provide a means for library patrons to return all materials to any library, no matter whether borrowed in person or on interlibrary loan.
  
• To carry official communications of the region, its member libraries, the MA Board of Library Commissioners, and cluster administrative offices.

Eligibility for On-Site Delivery:

• Libraries which are members of the region and who make their collections readily available to libraries in the region.
• Library based resource sharing cluster administrative offices, which are not housed in a member library.
• Regional headquarters.
• All libraries receiving regional delivery service must loan materials to all regional member libraries at no charge.

On-Site Delivery Conditions:

• All libraries must have staff available to receive and send deliveries on days when stops are made or make other mutually satisfactory arrangements with the region. While libraries are not required to receive or send deliveries on days when they are closed, if they wish to receive delivery, this option must be exercised by working out a mutually agreeable arrangement with the region. The regional office must be notified concerning unscheduled closings.
• Fragile items going through delivery must be packaged and labeled properly and ready to leave institution in time for the next scheduled delivery stop.
• Adequate space must be available for driver to leave incoming bins. Based on each member’s volume, the dimension of one bin is approximately 10 inches high x 15 inches wide x 22 inches long.
• Items traveling through the delivery system must be correctly labeled and when necessary, packaged.
• Libraries that receive funding from the same operating budget will receive delivery at one designated stop.
• Public libraries under the same governing authority will receive delivery at one designated stop.
• School libraries that are members of the same school district will receive delivery at one designated stop.
• Academic libraries that are members of the same campus will receive delivery at one designated stop.
• Special libraries, which meet the other eligibility conditions, will receive delivery.
• Libraries must agree to respond to regional requests for the collection of delivery data

Frequency of delivery will be determined by the total number of items sent and received on a regular weekly basis, with the following minimums in effect:

Items in delivery

Frequency of Delivery
Minimum of 50 items per week daily delivery (Monday-Friday)
Minimum of 30 items per week 3 times per week
Minimum of 20 items per week 2 times per week
Minimum of 10 items per week 1 time per week

Other delivery methods may be used for sites with fewer than 10 items per week.

New libraries will be added to the delivery system based on usage surveys conducted twice a year.

Packaging Requirements:

• Libraries must use regionally provided routing slips and consult the Massachusetts Statewide Delivery Routing Manual for proper addressing of those labels. Labels must be secured with an elastic band or tape. There must be one label per each item placed into delivery, unless the materials are sealed in a package.
• Fragile items should be placed in a padded envelope and labeled correctly. Libraries that receive rare materials should attempt to return the materials in the same or similar packaging.
• Rare, fragile, or items deemed valuable or irreplaceable and small items such as letter size envelopes, paperbacks, CDs, cassettes, etc. should be placed in a padded or clear plastic bag and placed on top of books.
• If a library has the same item, such as flyers or posters, going to multiple locations these must be packaged individually. If the library does not package these materials, the driver may refuse to accept. The library should contact the regional office with any questions.