The participating library’s staff member who deals directly and daily with the courier ser vice is generally from the circulation, mailroom, or ILL department.
Reaching these frontline staff directly through a complex library hierarchy can
be difficult. It can also be difficult to communicate with the library workers in smaller libraries where a single staff member performs so many functions that he has little time to pay close attention to courier issues. Another area of com- munication difficulty arises when dealing with very large orga nizations, such as city governments or universities, where the library is only a small department.
Hospitals, prisons, and federal buildings often have strong security measures that create both delivery and communication barriers.
There is a wide range of information that needs to be shared with frontline staff, including
correcting labeling or packing errors
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changes in what can and cannot be delivered on a courier ser vice
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unanticipated delays in ser vices due to accidents or unexpected driver
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absence route changes
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weather delays or other road closures
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reports of lost or damaged materials
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driver misconduct
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The list of communication needs is long; as a result, courier managers utilize many different methods to reach out to frontline staff in a timely fashion.
Manuals
Paper manuals are one of the most common communication tools used by cou- rier managers. Manuals, some as long as thirty pages, are a mixture of standard operating procedures, instructional information, and reference sources. The manual often describes the mission and operations of the courier ser vice and lists member libraries, fees, and courier personnel. Basically, a wide range of disparate information is jammed together in one paper resource.
A manual has two main advantages: all information about the ser vice can be found in one place, and paper is easy to transport or download from a website.
Conversely, there are several major drawbacks to paper manuals. They are dif- ficult to update, paper is often misfiled or misplaced, and participating libraries may not regularly download the latest version. As a result, manuals are best used for information that rarely changes.
The following are topics found in the table of contents of a typical library courier manual:
purpose or mission and governance of the courier system
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membership agreements and requirements to participate, including
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participant fees
pickup and delivery schedules
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courier holidays or no-ser vice days
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procedures for things such as packaging, labeling instructions, and
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handling lost or damaged items
limits on financial compensation for lost or damaged items
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frequently asked questions
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how to order needed supplies
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The manual does have the advantage of being the definitive source when dis- agreements occur over procedures. As long as the manual is widely distributed, there is at least the hope that the staff at the participating libraries will pay atten- tion to the contents.
The paper manual, though common, is one of the least effective methods of distributing information to participating libraries. Library workers are too busy to use large, cumbersome print documents. A host of online tools are replacing reliance on paper manuals to communicate with participating libraries.
E-mail and Electronic Discussion Lists
Electronic mail allows information to be sent directly to a frontline staff mem- ber’s computer account, which offers the courier manager several immediate advantages. First, it is a push technology that sends the information directly to the reader. Second, it is universally available in libraries. Finally, e-mail works especially well for short, to-the-point messages. For instance, a message that reads
“Courier ser vice in the southwest region will be delayed one hour due to a road closure on Highway 10” is easy to compose and gets right to the key point.
For small courier systems, it might be possible to maintain an e-mail address file with key contacts. For anyone who deals with more than a dozen contacts, e-mail address features are too cumbersome to manage. Most courier manag- ers use electronic discussion lists to manage e-mail contacts. Once established, electronic discussion lists are often the fastest and most efficient source of com- municating with critical frontline staff.
The problem with electronic discussion groups is that most library employ- ees are already so inundated with e-mail information that they are reluctant to
sign up for another list. In addition, getting word out about a new list, particularly in a larger consortium, can be difficult. One good method of gaining members on the courier’s electronic discussion list is to require a first and second e-mail contact on the agreement used by a library to join or to continue to participate in a delivery ser vice. One courier ser vice solved a low-participation problem by leveraging a crisis into a communication success. The manager chose to use only the electronic discussion list to discuss a threat to the continued existence of the courier ser vice. Within a short time, library staff demanded to be included in that electronic discussion list ser vice.
websites
Most library courier systems maintain a website with an array of useful infor- mation. Current sites span the spectrum from bare-bones, simple text informa- tion to information-rich, interactive tools. Standard sections found on most sites include mission and orga nizational descriptions, policies and procedures, contact information, list of participating libraries, pickup and delivery schedules, courier holidays, guides and training materials, FAQs and best-practices posters, forms and label printing, pricing and enrollment information, and electronic discus- sion group sign-up information. The more richly developed sites include promo- tional materials, maps, testimonials, start-up kits, statistics and reports, historical information, and a courier management system.
The advantages of a courier website are obvious. It provides a one-stop shop for delivery information. Websites are, however, pull-technology; they require the user to visit the site to retrieve the information. As a result, websites generally work poorly for emergency announcements. Further, maintaining current infor- mation online is generally not a top priority for busy courier managers.
An example of a full-featured website with strong use of graphics is SCLS’s Delivery Ser vice site (www.sclsdelivery.info). The site uses clear wording such as
“Delivery Times,” “Volume Statistics,” and “Road and Weather” to aid retrieval of key information. The clean mix of graphics and text also helps readers navigate the site.
Many library courier delivery websites include human interest links, such as courier news, employment information, and courier history sections. It is easy to tell when the delivery ser vice has paid attention to Internet communication.
With the better-developed sites, the reader gets a feel that the courier ser vice is substantial and cares about both professionalism and its image. We live in an era where library staff expect to find what they need fast and when they need it. A
good, full-featured web page is a great way to get current information to most users in a manner that meets their expectations.
newsletters
The day of the paper newsletter is passing, and this includes courier newslet- ters. As of this writing, a search of existing courier web pages found no courier- only newsletters. Some consortium-run courier systems do have newsletters, but information on the courier is a regular or occasional column among many other stories. Most courier systems use the Web as a de facto newsletter. Having a web section such as “What’s New,” “Courier News,” “Courier Updates,” or even just
“Announcements” can serve the function once provided by newsletters.
Social networking Tools
Blogs are websites that display messages added chronologically. Blogs are interac- tive, with most allowing the reader to respond to the writer’s comments. Typically blogs are updated frequently and are intended for wide public readership. The problem with blogs is that there are so many available that it can be difficult to get key constituencies to read another one about the courier ser vice. A blog can be either a pull or push medium. Readers can choose to treat a blog as a website and visit by entering an Internet address, or they may use a blog consolidator like Bloglines or My Yahoo, which pushes the information into a consolidated reader.
In general, blogs are not good for short-term emergency messages. They can, however, be a successful communication medium, particularly if the man- ager wishes to engage participating libraries in active dialogue. When significant changes are planned, such as introduction of a new code system, a blog allows two-way conversations. The courier manager can get a strong sense of the key issues affecting the delivery ser vice by providing an interactive blog.
At this time, few courier managers are using blogs, and those who do use them more as a FAQ site than as an open communication medium. Other Web 2.0 tools that encourage social networking, like wikis and text messaging, are seldom if ever used by courier managers. To speculate about why courier managers have not moved more aggressively into social networking is guesswork. Fear of “unfet- tered negative” comments could play a role; lack of time is another likely reason.
Two-way web communication tools are important. They make a statement about the open philosophy of the delivery ser vice. Although courier managers have not
fully grasped the need to incorporate these technologies, their integration is a matter of time.
In summary, courier managers should use a wide range of communication tools, choosing the most appropriate for each circumstance. The best courier systems use electronic discussion groups for emergency communication, websites for static information sharing, and social networking tools like blogs for two-way communication about issues.