ALAWON v7n14 (February 5, 1998) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/alawon/alawon-v7n14.txt ================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 14 ISSN 1069-7799 February 5, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (131 lines) ACTION ALERT: LOWER LIBRARY RATES PROPOSED; YOUR SUPPORT NEEDED _________________________________________________________________ ACTION ALERT: LOWER LIBRARY RATES PROPOSED; YOUR SUPPORT NEEDED In testimony filed on December 30, 1997, the Postal Rate Commission's Office of the Consumer Advocate asked the Commission to reject the massive increases proposed by the U.S. Postal Service for the Library Rate in the current postal rate case. The Consumer Advocate found that the increases are based on scanty and unreliable cost data. Instead, the Consumer Advocate would base the Library Rate on cost data for the regular book subclass. Applying the Library Rate markup data to those costs would produce rates that are comparable to, or even lower than, the rates that are now in effect. ACTION NEEDED 1. Write now to tell the Postal Rate Commission how library services would be affected by the steep increases in Library Rate proposed by U.S. Postal Service. Urge the Commission to adopt the alternative rates for the Library Rate as proposed by its Office of Consumer Advocate. The address is: Edward J. Gleiman, Chairman, U.S. Postal Rate Commission, 1333 H St., NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20268-0001. 2. Urge your Senators and Representative to contact Mr. Gleiman and request that the Commission adopt the alternative rates recommended by the PRC Office of the Consumer Advocate. Emphasize that the increases proposed by the Postal Service are so large that the Library Rate would become as high as (or higher than) the commercial book rate--effectively eliminating the separate Library Rate subclass created by Congress. BACKGROUND The ALA Washington Office asked the Consumer Advocate to investigate the unacceptably high rate increases proposed the Postal Service. The Consumer Advocate's analysis and rate proposals appear in the testimony of one of its costs experts, Sheryda Collins. Ms. Collins' testimony (OCA-T-700) is available on the PRC web site at www.prc.gov/wsdocs/R97-1/ocatestimony.html. The table below shows the rates that Collins proposed as an alternative to those requested by the U.S. Postal Service during the current rate case before the PRC: ALTERNATIVE RATE PROPOSAL OCA USPS First pound $1.13 $1.44 Two through eight pounds .40 .52 All pounds over eight .19 .25 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Typical 3-lb. Library Rate pkg. $1.93 $2.48 POSTAL SERVICE FLAWED COST FIGURES CHALLENGED Collins' testimony pointed out that because the Library Rate is a low volume subclass of mail, the tallies "from which the Library Rate costs are derived represents an extremely thin sample and thus may not provide cost estimates which are truly representative of the subclass." She challenged the cost figures used by USPS that resulted in proposed rates for the Library Rate which are generally higher than those proposed for the Special Rate, the commercial book rate. Collins pointed out that in the current rate case, the Postal Service proposes a de facto merger of two subclasses, Library and Special Rate. Her testimony pointed out: "This would be improper because Library Rate, a preferred rate category established by an Act of Congress, essentially would be eliminated by administrative fiat. The few unlucky Library Rate mailers who cannot qualify for the lower Special Rate rates certainly will not receive the benefits of a preferred rate category as Congress intended--and, to a lesser extent, neither will those Library Rate pieces that migrate." ALA PARTICIPATES IN POSTAL RATE CASE Last summer when USPS filed its request to the Postal Rate Commission to change postal rates, ALA filed as an intervenor in the rate case, and has challenged the USPS Library Rate increases. The Postal Rate Commission will make its recommendations about the changes in rates the USPS requested for various classes of mail. Further information about the rate case is available on the ALA Washington Office web page, "Steep Increase in Library Postal Rate Would Cut Library Services," at www.ala.org/washoff/postal.html. IMPORTANCE OF THE LIBRARY RATE The Library Rate is used for mailing books and other library and educational materials among libraries, schools, colleges, museums and other non-profit entities at less than commercial rates. This same rate is used by libraries for interlibrary loans, delivery of books reserved by users, and books-by-mail programs which provide books for rural, isolated and homebound users. In rural areas especially, there are rarely alternative delivery mechanisms available. NEXT STEPS At the appropriate stage of the proceeding this spring, ALA will file a brief endorsing the Consumer Advocate's proposal. In the meantime, library postal rate users and supporters can help by taking the action suggested above. ________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message: subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname] to listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Anne Heanue All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================