AV Lending Procedure

Shipping and Handling 

General handling

• AV materials and their cases may be more delicate than books. The lending institution is responsible for properly packing the borrowed materials in appropriate shipping containers and packaging to protect them from damage. The lender must be sure that all parts of the material are actually present in their correct container and not damaged before they are shipped to the borrowing institution.
• The borrowing institution is responsible for returning the material in the same condition as received, using appropriate shipping containers and packaging that will protect the materials from being damaged, and making sure that all parts of the material are present and undamaged in their correct container before they are shipped back to the lender.
• The type of packaging depends on the library’s budget and needs. The preferred packaging is a reusable padded mailer, a foam lined plastic package sealed by either a Velcro flap or a zipper. Alternate packaging can include:
  • Bubble wrap mailing envelopes
  • Jiffy bags with shredded filling as padding
  • Media lender boxes from vendors such as Demco or Gaylord

Any materials expected to be returned should be designated as such.

Branding

• When feasible the library should use the A/V Shipping Band located on the MOBIUS website. The MOBIUS bands include a simple copyright statement that may be used, edited, or removed at the discretion of the lending library.
• Removable labels are optional and may be used at the discretion of the lending library instead of a paper band

Notes on shipping through 1st Choice

• 1st Choice’s insurance restricts replacement costs to $500 per bag. As many educational videos can be quite expensive, it would be prudent to ship only one or two AV items per courier bag.
• The lending library cannot expect to be reimbursed by the courier for more than $500 for lost or damaged materials even if their cost exceeds that amount.
• The lending library should instruct the borrowing library to return AV items in a courier bag separate from any other materials if replacement cost is potentially an issue.

Compliance: Libraries should make sure materials are safely packaged to reduce losses and damages.