We also send our in-compute periodical volumes to the commercial binder and have done so for about 5 years. We have rebound less than 1% because the missing issue was found or received. We have a few titles that are kept for a short amount of time and discarded. We also use the Togic for these but will switch to the Fastback machine when our Togic supplies are exhausted. Using the commercial binder has freed up a lot of student labor. One year using the Togic binder we did a special project that lasted a couple of weeks. I discovered that we spent about 45 minutes for each of these volumes.

I checked the cost of in-house binding and decided it was not worth the effort. The covers and other materials were running an average of $2.00 per volume and used a lot of labor. It is just as cheap to send it to the binder.

Jo Ann Williams
Head of Binding
Texas A&M University
5000 TAMU
College Station TX  77843-5000
979-845-5956
joannwilliams@tamu.edu

>>> penningtonb@UMKC.EDU 05/27/04 01:01PM >>>
We send ours to a commercial bindery and have done so for quite a while.
It works out fine.  I think it is easier to send all volumes out for
binding.  If your binding budget can accommodate it, then you have freed
up staff time for other projects.

Buddy Pennington
Serials Acquisitions Librarian
Miller Nichols Library
University of Missouri - Kansas City
800 E. 51st Street
Kansas City, MO  64110
816-235-1548
816-333-5584 (fax)
penningtonb@umkc.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: SERIALST: Serials in Libraries Discussion Forum
[mailto:SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Lori Hughes
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 12:40 PM
To: SERIALST@LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [SERIALST] Binding incomplete volumes inhouse

We are currently conducting a cost analysis for binding incomplete
volumes in-house verses sending them to commercial bindery. If your
library binds incomplete periodical volumes in-house, what binding
system/equipment are you using? If you are sending them to commercial
bindery, how long have you been doing so and is it working out well?  If
we continue in-house binding, we will need to replace our Togic machine
soon and we are considering sending all volumes (complete or not) to
commercial bindery instead. Any advice and/or insight is appreciated.

Regards,

Lori Hughes
Serials Acquisitions Librarian
Alkek Library
Texas State University - San Marcos