Regional Delivery Service Guidelines



General Information

Free delivery service is provided to most member libraries by all four Regional Library Cooperatives, enabling timely delivery of interlibrary loan materials and photocopies statewide to participating members. In the Highlands Region, interlibrary loans are delivered from library to library via two methods: First Class U.S. Mail and Regional Delivery Service.


Who May Receive Delivery Service

Libraries sending out more than 70 items per year (60 for school media centers) will be provided Regional Delivery Service by the Cooperative on a two-day-per-week basis (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Statistics are reviewed annually and libraries meeting requirements for four-day-per-week delivery are notified by the Regional Office. Libraries which send less than 70 items per year (60 for school media centers) utilize First Class U.S. Mail. New member libraries may request Regional Delivery Service, but must meet the minimum requirements above. The service operates between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Libraries not on Regional Delivery Service may request a one-time pick-up for large quantities of materials being sent to a library on the Service by calling the Regional Office.

Libraries not meeting the requirements to receive Regional Delivery Service may pay to receive the Service (see Paying for Delivery Service).


Paying for Additional Service or Requesting Start-Up

Adding a Day to an Existing Delivery Schedule:
  1. HRLC member libraries may purchase an additional day of service at any time. To do so, complete the form, "Request for Delivery Service," and send it to the Regional Office. Service will start at the beginning of the month following the request. Please note that changes cannot be made to the following schedule: If you currently receive two days of service, the third day is Friday; if you currently receive four days of service, the fifth day is Wednesday.


  2. One bill will be sent to libraries for service through the end of the year. School bills will be adjusted for summer closing. The cost is $7.50/week for one additional day; i.e., 52 weeks x $7.50 = $390.00. NOTE: BCCLS and BELS currently handle the purchase of extra delivery days for their member libraries.


To Receive Delivery Service:

This is for libraries that currently do not receive delivery service and should be of special interest to libraries that are or will be actively involved in JerseyCat.
  1. If you did not meet minimum eligibility requirements in the past for free delivery service (70+ items sent out/year, 60+ items for schools), but do anticipate meeting them in the coming year, you may request free delivery service twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday). Please give these minimums serious and realistic consideration before requesting service. HRLC reserves the right to eliminate any member from delivery if statistics fail to meet minimums or if the member fails to submit statistics promptly (see Participation Requirements
    2. ).

  2. If your library cannot meet the minimum eligibility requirements, you have the option of purchasing two days of delivery service. The cost is $15.00/week; i.e., 52 weeks x $15.00 = $780.00.


Please Note: All libraries using the delivery service must record and submit statistics, as well as abide by these Guidelines. Read them completely before requesting service.


Participation Requirements

Libraries must agree to provide a place inside the library where materials will be delivered and picked up and where Delivery Statistical Forms can be left for staff to enter the number of packages to be sent out and for the driver to initial each day.

Libraries must agree to maintain monthly statistics by recording the number of items sent out (materials you are lending, returning, correspondence, etc.) within the Region and outside the Region on the Delivery Statistical Form. Items received by the library are not counted. Statistics are reported to the Regional Office on a quarterly basis by completing the Quarterly Statistical Form. Master copies of the Statistical Forms are included here for duplication, or complete the online Quarterly Form, which gets e-mailed directly to the Regional Office.

It is suggested that you write or type your library name on the top of each master Statistical Form. Copy a year's supply of the monthly form and quarterly form. Insert the quarterly form after the months of March, June, September and December. Staple all forms together and make them accessible to the driver. Keep copies of all Statistical Forms - occasionally they are lost en route to the Regional Office.

Libraries must provide the Regional Office with the delivery site street address, the name of the person in charge of Delivery, and the contact's telephone number. Delivery will only be made to one library within each library system with branches and to one school library within each school district. Library systems and school districts are responsible for routing deliveries to their branches and schools, and all will be included in the Delivery Address List.

The library delivery contact must inform the Regional Office early the day after the Delivery Service fails to arrive on the scheduled delivery day.

Libraries must agree to follow packaging instructions included herein and to use the Delivery Address List provided on the HRLC website (www.hrlc.org/deliveryinfo.htm#lists). A master copy of shipping labels is included for duplication.


What can be delivered?

All library materials, except equipment, may be sent. Materials are not limited to interlibrary loans, but should be library-related materials (e.g., books, periodicals, photocopies, delivery statistics, correspondence to libraries and the Regional Office, fliers announcing library programs, films and other non-print materials). Books and videos may be packaged in boxes, but must have a packing slip enclosed. See the section on packaging requirements. Libraries might want to send expensive materials via an alternate method of delivery providing insurance. Video Circuits should see the section on Reimbursement for Lost Items.


Packaging and Address Requirements

  1. Items for Delivery must be packaged in plastic bags provided by the Regional Office (call when the library is running low - try not to wait until there are none before placing an order). Plastic bags should be secured with rubber bands. DO NOT USE TAPE OR STAPLES ON SELF-SEALING BAGS!!!

    Do not overstuff the bags - overstuffed bags often spill open and materials get lost. If you cannot close the self-sealing bag, there is too much in it. Large bags should contain no more than 3 or 4 books (depending on size).

    Also, please do not make boxes too heavy. There is a good possibility that if a box is too heavy, the driver will not take it. Boxes should be no heavier than 50 pounds. If you can't lift it, it needs to be repackaged. Close boxes securely using wide tape.


  2. The shipping label must be clearly visible on every item. The appropriate Region letter, as indicated in the Delivery Address List, should be marked next to the address lines:

    H - Highlands Regional Library Cooperative
    I - INFOLINK - Eastern Jersey Regional Library Cooperative
    C - Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative
    S - South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative

    The library's return "street" address (not Post Office Box number) must be stamped on the back of the label to facilitate quick return of misrouted items. Enter the date the material was sent in the space provided on the front of the label.

    Delivery ID Numbers must be used for all items being sent through delivery - these ID #s help in the sorting process. They can be found on our website at www.hrlc.org/deliveryinfo.htm#lists. The more information you supply, the better your chances the package will get to its destination in a timely manner.

  3. Videocassettes must be enclosed in brown bubble mailer envelopes (not fiber-filled jiffy bags, as fibers can ruin videos) before being inserted into plastic bags.


  4. The drivers are to pick-up and drop off your items, spending minimal time at each location. They are not required to transfer your materials, unload the buckets, or anything else that is not their responsibility. Please do not ask them to do any of these tasks, as it delays delivery to other libraries on the same route.



Delivery Address List

Delivery addresses for HRLC member libraries can be found on our website (www.hrlc.org/members/memindex.htm). Also indicated are the U.S. Mail addresses to be used for libraries not on the Delivery System. Please do not send materials to U.S. mail addresses via the Delivery Service as the materials usually become lost. Never send items with a Post Office Box number - street addresses must be used.

Please Note: The other Regional Library Cooperatives may or may not include addresses on their websites:

INFOLINK - Eastern Jersey Regional Library Cooperative
Central Jersey Regional Library Cooperative
South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative


Holidays

The following holidays are observed:

New Year's DayMartin Luther King Day
Presidents' DayGood Friday
Memorial DayIndependence Day
Labor DayColumbus Day
Veteran's DayThanksgiving Day
Day After ThanksgivingChristmas Day

Click here for a printable version of the Holidays for Regional Delivery Service and the HRLC Office


Library and School Library Closings

When a library will be closed for a week or longer, contact the Regional Office to arrange to hold materials for the library.

During school libraries' summer recess, Regional Delivery Service will be suspended. Libraries will be notified in the Regional Newsletter, Highlights, of the June suspension date and the September resumption date. School librarians should set an early June date for the return of all interlibrary loan materials to ensure their receipt prior to the cessation of Regional Delivery Service.

During other common recesses (e.g., Christmas vacation), Regional Delivery Service to school libraries will cease. Notification will be made in the Regional Newsletter, Highlights and on our listserv.


Lost Item Reimbursement Policy

According to the terms of the contract, Regional Delivery Service, Inc. does not insure lost materials. As a courtesy, the Highlands Region will make reimbursement for lost materials, except videos belonging to circuits and bulk shipments of videos or books, as stated below. It is recommended that expensive materials be sent via a delivery method where insurance and tracing mechanisms can be provided. However, if such materials are sent in the Delivery System and do not arrive when expected, the library should call the Regional Office to notify the Delivery Service to be on the "lookout" for them.

Policy - A cap of 1-1/2% of the Highlands annual delivery budget will be allocated for reimbursement. Libraries owning materials which become lost in the Delivery System will be reimbursed on a semi-annual basis at a rate divided proportionally among claims at established standard item prices. Requests for reimbursement must be filed no less than three months or more than six months after the item is lost in delivery. A Request for Reimbursement for Material Lost in Delivery Form must be completed in order to receive a reimbursement.

Claim Period in
which Material Lost		 Claims Due
at Regional Office		 Reimubursement
Made
October - March July 15th August
April - September January 15th February


Example: Book sent/lost in Regional Delivery in October. Claim must be filed by the next July 15th. This is more than three months after the loss and within the six month claim period.

Standard Item Prices:
Hard Cover - Adult $20.00
  - Juvenile $15.00
Paperback - Trade (Fodors, College Guides) $12.00
  - Other $5.00
Periodicals/Pamphlets/Government Documents $3.50
Audiovisual - Cassette $5.00
  - CD $10.00
  - Video $25.00
  - Mixed Media Kit $25.00