Materials that are not destined for TExpress sites are occasionally delivered to Amigos Library Services for rerouting. To avoid further delay these materials are dispatched to the intended recipient with Amigos bearing the shipping cost. Amigos staff will monitor the frequency and cost and pursue cost recovery administratively. Discussion centered on use of mailing list to announce missing materials. Consensus that listing wayward or missing materials is an appropriate use of the list and strongly encouraged postings to the list when materials are located.
Members also recommend use of the mailing list to post overall statistics, including loss rate.
Susie Thompson will provide the first draft of a monthly TExpress email newsletter. Transition has already occurred with only 3-5 glitches in the Houston area. Service to this area was covered by a Pony Express subcontractor and Marquis recently hired 100 new couriers to fill any gaps. Concern over rising gasoline prices prompted discussion of our current contract. The new agreement with Marquis may reflect additional cost per site but cost to member libraries is expected to remain constant.