Creating NISO’s Library Physical Delivery Recommended Practices

The volume of materials shipped between libraries and branches has grown very quickly. This growth caused service and budget problems for libraries, library networks, and commercial couriers. NISO formed a working group comprised of practitioners from various types of libraries and systems to recommend practices to improve performance and reduce costs for moving physical materials between libraries. The recommended practices include an introduction and sections related to management, automation, the physical move, and the future. In addition to describing the recommended practices, the authors briefly review the cause of the growth in library delivery volume, i.e., the development of patron-placed hold capability in integrated library systems and the issues and reactions in the library delivery community resulting from the rapid growth, as well as prospects for a future with declining delivery volume.