Director's Corner: Postal Delays and Postal Visits

 

Director's Corner: 

Postal Delays and Postal Visits

Contributed by John Owen, Director

To all of our patrons, families and stakeholders, 

The staff of the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD) thank you for using our service and we thank you for letting us know how it impacts your lives each day, both what is working well and the challenges you face.  We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you. 

 

Over the last two months, we have heard from many of you about delays in delivery of the materials you borrow from the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled (LBPD).  Our staff have shared your frustration and have worked to resolve the issue by sending extra materials, following up with postal carriers, and listening and documenting your experiences to get a better picture of this latest challenge. 

Recently, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) for the United States Postal Service began an investigation into the treatment of Free Matter for the Blind.  They spoke with staff from our LBPD as well as members and staff of the National Federation of the Blind.  On March 16, a team from the OIG visited our library, looked at our processes and the mail delivery, and went to the postal facility to observe how mail is sorted from there.  The OIG will produce a report based on their investigation.  

Although it is early in the process, we were encouraged by the team's diligence as well as a larger number of materials returned to us than we have seen in several weeks.  This means that the materials you return are getting back to us.  We also have heard from some of you that books that you have waited for a long time are starting to arrive.  

Please continue to contact the library if you continue to have issues with mail delivery so that we can continue to give the OIG the best information about where problems are occurring.  Also feel free to let us know that you are getting materials, especially if you had previously contacted us about delays.  You can reach us at 410-230-2443 or reference.desk@maryland.gov.  

Also, please return materials that you have finished reading.  Returning materials in a timely way ensures that new books are sent to you.  We hope that this challenge with mail delays is moving into the past as the OIG sheds light on this issue, but LBPD will continue to keep consistent mail delivery for all people at the forefront of our work.  

Free Matter for the Blind

Free Matter for the Blind or other Physically Handicapped Persons (Free Matter) is a program provided under Title 39 of the US Code § 3403. By law, the Postal Service is required to offer free mailing to people who are blind and cannot read or use conventional printed material because of a physical impairment. The Postal Service is reimbursed for the cost of Free Matter through congressional appropriations every year. The objective of the audit is to review Postal Service procedures for the acceptance, handling, and delivery of Free Matter.

Director's Corner: Mailing Concerns

 

Director's Corner: Mailing Concerns

Contributed by John Owen, Director

Greetings from the Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled

On behalf of the staff of the library and as the Director of LBPD, I want to address the most recent wave of issues regarding the delivery of audiobooks, braille books, large print books, and equipment to you, our patrons, across the state of Maryland.

We are hearing from many of you that it has been five or more weeks since you last received materials from us.  This is frustrating to us, as I’m sure it is for you who count on our service.  We are providing you with access to reading material and information and we work hard to get those audiobooks and braille books out on a daily basis, only to have them not reach you.

I thank you for your understanding during this time.  I know that it might not seem obvious when materials don't arrive for you, but LBPD staff have been working and continue to work through the pandemic.

I can assure you that staff has been at our library every day, Monday through Friday, for the past year as always, pulling books to be sent out and checking in the books that we receive back from you. LBPD is closed to public visits to keep staff and patrons safe, but we have not missed a day of pulling books to be sent out in the mail.  This is on top of the virtual programming, reference desk services, assistive technology instruction, and textbook conversion that we provide our patrons. And that consistent service continues to this day.

Over the last month, we have actually taken steps that improve the turnaround time on materials. In the last month, we’ve reduced the quarantine time on incoming materials based on the latest safety information from the Maryland Department of Health.  This has enabled us to process returns more quickly than over the last several months.  Also, more of our patrons are using Books on Demand which means that more patrons are getting multiple books on a single cartridge, which reduces the load on the post office to deliver multiple audiobook cartridges.

In fact, March 2021 and April 2021 were two of the highest months in the circulation of titles to our patrons over the past year.  Unfortunately, that increase in circulation and efficiency has coincided with increased challenges with delivery by the United States Postal Service.  According to the USPS website, Free Matter materials should be treated as First Class mail, and the delays you are experiencing now are not indicative of that.

If we at LBPD are processing books faster and sending out more books than previous months and you’re still not getting books for five weeks, you should be upset.  I know I am.

And if you are getting other mail from the post office in a timely manner, but not mail from the Library from the Blind, you should be upset.  I know I am.

Please contact your local post office branch to let them know you are upset.  You can find that information at this website - https://tools.usps.com/find-location.htm - or contact our staff to help you find contact information.  Please know that I’m contacting our post office liaison here in Baltimore on a regular basis.

Please contact your legislators to let them know you are upset.  You can find your congressional representative at house.gov and your senator at senate.gov, or you can contact our staff to help you identify them.  Our State Librarian Irene Padilla has sent letters to Senator Chris van Hollen and Senator Ben Cardin expressing our concerns.

And contact us about Books on Demand which will make the delivery of your materials through the U.S. Postal Service more efficient with fewer cartridges to handle.

If you have access to an Internet connection or mobile device, get access to audio and braille downloads through BARD.

Please continue to return items when you’ve finished reading them, both audiobooks and printed Braille books.  This ensures that a steady supply of materials keeps coming to you.

The USPS is our partner and is subsidized by Congress to provide you with Free Matter in a timely manner.  Let them know that you need them to deliver for you.  We hope that the challenges faced by USPS are overcome soon and we can count on their partnership in serving you.

In the meantime, continue to share your book requests, concerns, and successes with us by calling 410-230-2443 or emailing us at reference.desk@maryland.gov.  LBPD will continue to do what we have done throughout these challenges:  get materials in the mail to you every day so That All May Read.

Thank you,

John Owen

Director

Maryland State Library for the Blind and Print Disabled