In short, the answer is...RECOMMENDED. And, to put many a mind at ease, there is NOT a July 1, 2004 deadline for implementing the use of pre-printed delivery routing slips in the Northeast region.
After publishing the article entitled, Is Your Hand Getting Cramped?, about Methuen's pre-printed delivery slips in March 2004, we heard from a few libraries who proudly declared that they, too, had been using such a system and were very pleased.
On May 5th and 6th, at our two ILL Center Open Houses, NMRLS introduced the notion of expanding the use of pre-printed delivery routing slips with the hope of getting some feedback from those who are actually working at the circulation desks.
Considering the enormous volume of items moving through the region (and state), we see the benefits of pre-printing as:
- Increased efficiency and productivity
- Increased ACCURACY in delivery and sorting
- Reduced number of mis-delivered items and, in turn, better turn-around overall of items
- Healthier hands, wrists, and elbows!
Some of the potential barriers to using pre-printed slips are:
- Space concerns at the circulation desks
- Multiple work stations would require multiple displays of pre-printed slips
- Costs associated with the purchase of displays
- Keeping the displays stocked with photocopies
While we are NOT mandating that pre-printed slips be used, we are strongly suggesting them as an efficient alternative to hand-writing each and every slip. Some libraries are using pre-printed slips only for the libraries with whom they do the most business. Other are starting with using pre-printed slips at one workstation at a time.
To assist libraries with their consideration of this system, we are happy to talk to folks about the "Methuen-method" of slip display and even assist libraries with an onsite space-planning assessment, if desired. We have also put masters of pre-printed delivery routing slips (Northeast Region ONLY) so that delivery participants may download Master slips for those libraries with whom they do business. Each file is one page, 3 slips per page. Note: Blank slips for all regions are still available at this link.
If you have any questions and/or would like to set up a site visit to assess the feasibility of such a system at your library, please feel free to contact me, Susan Grabski, or Lucie Gallagher.
