Research Reports from the Department of Operations
Document Type
Report
Publication Date
1-1-1972
Abstract
At the time of this study, the chief burden for physical transportation of library materials in the Greater Cleveland (Ohio) area rested with the independently operating and overlapping services of the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) and Cuyahoga County Public Library (CCPL). Library materials, however, are shipped to and from the various branches of several independent suburban library systems; school libraries of over thirty Boards of Education; several universities and numerous "special" public and private libraries. In all, the network includes over 700 nodes. The direct cost of the two major transportation systems, e.g., CPL and CCPL, exceeds $150,000 a year. Some of the other libraries rely on independent delivery services, messengers, and the United States Mail to supplement the services provided by CPL and CCPL. This results in an increase in the cost and inefficiency of performing the multi-library distribution of materials. Each of the participating library systems acknowledged that the level of service for transporting materials was unsatisfactory. The inequity of having CPL and CCPL financially support the major share of the interlibrary distribution system was also recognized. The purpose of this project was to assist in solving the problems of managing the distribution systems which were costly and did not adequately meet the expected service objectives. The specific goals of this project for solving the problem of distributing library materials as specified in the project proposal are outlined below: 1) Design an optimal distribution system integrating all designated libraries in the area and meeting present and anticipated needs. 2) Reduce the total cost of distribution in the county. 3) Construct and validate a transportation model which provides for modular expansion. 4) Determine most desirable routes between libraries for transportation of supplies, newly processed materials, and interlibrary loans. 5) Cost analysis of acquisition, maintenance and operation of modes of transportation and personnel required in existing system and for model developed. 6) Measure volume and flow of supplies, newly processed materials, and interlibrary loans between libraries. 7) Establish minimum time between source of material and user. 8) Increase the percentage of requests filled through local libraries. 9) Determine the extent of feasibility of 24-hour interlibrary loan service. 10) Determine the extent of feasibility of four day service for materials outside of area. 11) Determine the extent of feasibility of reciprocal book return within a maximum of two days. 12) Determine the extent of feasibility of daily delivery of newly processed materials. [Published circa 1972-1973.]
Keywords
Operations research, Libraries--Inventory control, Library circulation and loans, Library cooperation, Interlibrary loans, Libraries--Ohio--Cleveland
Publication Title
Technical Memorandums from the Department of Operations, School of Management, Case Western Reserve University
Issue
Technical memorandum no. 275
Rights
This work is in the public domain and may be freely downloaded for personal or academic use
Recommended Citation
Beeler, M.G. Fancher; Herling, J.P.; Reisman, Arnold; and Dean, Burton V., "A Multi-Library System Distribution Network Design" (1972). Research Reports from the Department of Operations. 323.
https://commons.case.edu/wsom-ops-reports/323