RE: Overdue notices

["William Gray" <wgray@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Paul,

We use 3-part carbon mailers on an Okidata Microline 320 Turbo. What we've found is that even with an optimum printer setup (mailers fed through bottom slot tractor feed to minimize bending and paper jams) that the mailers do still on occasion catch against the printhead on the way through, causing misprints. And since we've also been printing the patron barcode number above their name so that it will show up on the inside of the mailer but not on the outside address field (for confidentiality purposes) that it requires some experience to line up the paper so that the barcode and/or name do not get printed on the wrong section of the mailer.

Because the mailers require someone to stand over them while they print, alignment, then the tearing off of cover sheets and tractor-guides (on the paper), as well as seperation and mailing (including postage and cost of mailers), we are going to try delivering overdues via our Telephone Notification System (from III), as well as by e-mail (for those patrons who opt for it via their records online). We already deliver Hold pickup notices with the TNS and/or e-mail, and it has saved us a lot of staff time; we expect that handling overdues the same way will also save much time and trouble. We do still plan to deliver Billed item notices by mail, however.

Hope this helps.

William Gray
Library Technical Assistant
Greenwich Library


-----Original Message-----
From: Ericsson, Paul [mailto:PEricsson@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2003 11:10 AM
To: Innopac Users (E-mail)
Subject: Overdue notices


We are a new circulation site.

We'd be interested to hear any advice about dealing with the real practical logistics of overdue notices. On our prior system we had crash mailers. The impact printer was slow, noisy, and prone to mechanical failures. With III we are going to give a try at using 8 1/2" x 11" regular paper in a laser system printer, and then stuff window envelopes. Our setup during circ training of the standard form was pretty straightforward. And we understand that this is the typical scenario on III.

Are libraries happy with folding&stuffing approach?

Do you use a folding machine and if so, what manufacturer and model do you recommend to use, or not use?

Do you use crash mailers, and if so, what are the challenges and resolutions to notices that run longer than the single page of the crash mailer?

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks, and happy holidays,

Paul

	___________________________________________

	Paul Ericsson
	Adult Services Supervisor / Automation Coordinator
	Concord Public Library    http://www.onconcord.com
	45 Green St.     Concord, NH 03301     603 230-3697
	pericsson@xxxxxxxxxx
	___________________________________________
		

 

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