Hold Labels vs Hold Receipts: Tracking Study
With the price of hold labels increasing, ongoing supply chain issues and the level of stickiness of the labels, we are going to test using hold receipts instead of hold labels. Here is the cost breakdown on hold labels vs receipts:
- We had roughly 800,000 holds placed in the last 12 months.
- Sticky labels cost $30 per 1000 labels ($.03 each). The cost per roll may be about to double though. Based on the $30 per roll, we spend around $24,000 on labels per year. That could increase to $48,000 if the price does double.
- Receipt paper costs $65.43 per box of paper (24 rolls) or $2.72 per roll. There is 324’ on each roll. If each hold receipt were 5.5”, we could have 707 hold slips per roll or $.003 per slip. If they are 6”, we could have 648 hold slips per roll or $.004 per slip. In that case, we would spend $2,400 to $3,200 on hold slips per year.
Additionally, the cost of receipt printers is approximately $500 while hold label printers are double that amount. IT has a few extra receipt printers if locations found that they needed one in their back room.
What does this mean for you and your library?
We are going to do a one-week baseline study at all branches of how long it takes when we interact with hold labels. The tracking period will be Monday, November 28 through Sunday, December 4.
We will then have a two-week period where our four test locations will be using hold receipts. Our four test locations are Belle Isle, Edmond, Village, Warr Acres. These test locations will exclusively be using hold receipts instead of hold labels from Monday, December 5 through Sunday, December 18. Again, all libraries will track the specific information as we’ll be evaluating how hold receipts are handled during delivery, guest feedback, and how they fit on the hold shelf at non-test locations. Our test locations are going to give us data to see how hold receipts impact staff time and process.
There are three attachments in this post:
- Hold Label vs Receipt 2022-11: This document lists the cost information of hold labels vs receipts, basic tracking information for the baseline and live study, and photos of what the hold receipts look like.
- Hold Label vs Receipt Tracking Instructions: This document lists the “how” of what to track in one week baseline study and the two-week live study
- Hold Label vs Receipt Tracking: This Excel file has everything that needs to be tracked during the one week baseline study and the two week live study. Library Management Team will receive the link to enter the data. There is a printable document to help track all details locally.
Dates to remember:
- Monday, November 28 through Sunday, December 4: Baseline study for all libraries to track hold label
- Monday, December 5 through Sunday, December 18: Live study for all libraries to track data surrounding hold labels vs receipts with the four test locations are Belle Isle, Edmond, Village, Warr Acres exclusively using hold receipts.
Please ask your local leadership team, Regional Directors, or me if you have any questions.
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Comments
My dots aren't connecting. How will we attach the paper hold receipt to the reserve item?
My understanding is the the slip will be placed in the item. There are examples in the first pdf posted.
Optimistically, these paper slips are expected to stay attached to the reserve materials as they make their way from the outgoing ergo trolley to the service center where they land in another ergo trolley to the destination library and onto the reserve shelf?
It would work for CDs and DVDs with their snap containers but I see or read no mention of how to attach the papers slips to books. Just placing a paper slip inside a book cover when one considers the traveling the item is going to take seems a bit tenuous to me.
If it helps, the images from the first document make it look like the receipt is placed roughly inside the middle of the book with the long end of the receipt near the spine of the book. My guess is that will secure it quite well through delivery.
The sorter at the service center is already, constantly stopped by pieces of paper, bookmarks, pieces of books and even hair .I do understand the concern about the stickiness of the labels, its just that this machine costs so much, and we waited for it for so long for it , I'm concerned about the inevitable mechanical failures. I guess we will see how it goes
If the receipts stop the sorters like bookmarks, etc., Pioneer uses a sticky backed receipt paper (my understanding is they have the exact same receipt printers we do). These go on the spine so shouldn't be a problem for the sorters and don't have the super stickiness problem. I'm sure they cost more than the plain receipt paper but I'd imagine less than what we currently use. I had a couple labels Thursday that were so bad it took me 5 minutes and a good amount of Goo Gone each to remove. Our Library Aides and Access Specialists are spending a significant amount of time removing labels and partial labels that were sent on to us only partly removed. That's way too much wasted staff time and understandable frustration to be sustainable.