By Gregory Pronevitz and Valerie HortonIn July 2009, NISO formed a working group to develop a recommended practice on the physical delivery of library materials. Increased demand from library users for consortium and interlibrary loans has created corresponding costs for libraries to provide the services. Where libraries used outsourced courier services, their contractors were also impacted, often overwhelmed by the unplanned growth. Libraries also had difficulty in supplying the space and staff needed to process the materials. NISO's working group consisted of 11 members representing academic, public, and consortia libraries in the U.S. and Europe, and was co-chaired by Valerie Horton and Diana Sachs-Silveria. The diversity of libraries to be addressed by the recommended practice presented a challenge to the group but they established common principles to guide their work. A Physical Move section addressed issues related to labels, packaging, shipping containers, transportation, tracking, and reports. The growth in e-content raises the question of when and to what extent it will impact physical delivery needs. There is some speculation as to whether physical delivery has peaked. While libraries that instituted the capability for patron-placed holds continued to see some growth in delivery in recent years, the authors feel that the tipping point to declined physical delivery has begun, although the decline is forecast to be very slow.
