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Courier Service meetings at OLA
and WLA, Spring 2001
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Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 17:18:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Nancy Nathanson
To: Orbis Courier email list
Subject: Courier meetings report
To: Courier contacts
From: Nancy Nathanson
** Report on courier service meetings at OLA, WLA **
Orbis sponsored Courier Service Participants meetings at the annual
conferences of the Oregon Library Association (March 29, Seaside) and
Washington Library Association (April 6, Spokane). John Helmer, Executive
conferences of the Oregon Library Association (March 29, Seaside) and
Washington Library Association (April 6, Spokane). John Helmer, Executive
Director, provided an overview of the history of the courier service,
membership program, and contract with the vendor, and explained the system
of dropsites, or hubs, and forwarding sites. Nancy Nathanson reviewed
daily operations issues such as packaging, labeling, shipping records, and
scheduling.
The presentations included a lot of specific, or detailed information,
and also covered a few larger themes, for example:
- After a five-month absence of courier service, the new service
began in November and has added a number of new dropsites
since then.
- Thousands of packages are shipped each month in less than two
days.
- Orbis works to continue explaining libraries' needs to the
vendor, and hopes to provide the members with a better
understanding of how the courier operates - carrying
library materials among the many other types of
packages being delivered each day to various kinds of
businesses and organizations.
-Libraries' support of standard labeling and packaging guidelines
contributes to a fast, efficient and cost-effective
region-wide service.
___Participant comments
We heard several favorable comments about the fast service (average
system-wide shipping time in December was under 2 days!), and questions
about packaging, labeling, and the daily shipping records (manifests).
A couple of questions and comments related to local resource-sharing
groups, such as:
- what to do with courier bags belonging to other systems
- local shuttles or couriers that distribute materials between the
dropsite (or hub) and the forwarding sites
___Suggestions
Suggestions included doing a new --or periodic-- transit time study,
considering purchase and distribution of a standard courier bag to use
throughout the system, and providing manifest forms pre-printed with
frequently-used dropsites and blank lines for writing in others. When we
raised the topic of providing electronic files for courier labels,
attendees encouraged us to develop new methods for distributing the master
labels. For example, label files might be made available on the Web, with
up-to-date master labels in appropriate sizes for local photocopying.
Orbis would notify participants by e-mail when new or revised labels are
available.
___For more information
Brochures and handouts distributed at the meetings are available - please
write Orbis for copies.
orbis@oregon.uoregon.edu
We've also put copy of the PowerPoint presentation on the Web, linked from
the Courier homepage. It doesn't include all of the commmentary and
discussion, of course (no audio), but provides you - or new staff in
training - with a flavor of the topics addressed. Use your mouse to
"click" through the slides. If you're using Netscape: after you select
"Open it" (instead of Save it to disk), then click on the Projection
screen icon ("Slide Show") to begin.
___Please let us know if there are other occasions where you think an
Orbis Courier Service presentation and discussion might be useful for
existing or new dropsites and staff.
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Nancy Nathanson, Orbis Systems Manager
nnathans@oregon.uoregon.edu phone: (541) 346-1860
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