At the University of Hawaii we have an airfreight arrangement with the dealer
who brings in mainland newspapers for the newsstands.  We receive 10
subscriptions (New York Times, LA Times, etc.) to the Sunday newspapers,
delivered to the library early Monday a.m., each week.  Our daily
subscriptions are all for regular air mail delivery and usually come within
2-4 days, but the Sunday papers were always too expensive for us to get by
air.  Once we began to see the papers in the supermarkets and the newstands
on Saturday p.m. we got a lot of flak from patrons and decided to give the
newstand supplier a try.  He has been very cooperative, even agreeing to
waive his usual policy of cash on delivery to allow us to pay on an every six
month basis to simplify handling.   Cost is the same as the issue by issue
price at the newstand (i.e., retail).  That's not cheap, but for us the
public relations aspects have outweighed the costs.  Yes, we really do have
the papers faster;  our holdings usually leapfrog from Wed. or Thurs. to
Sunday and then the intervening days are received.

The major problem has been receipt on Mondays when the library is closed, as
for the Martin Luther King holiday this year.  We have worked out delivery
through the overnight book return slot on those occasions, but there is a
distinct possibility that the slot will be closed in the foreseeable future.
Delivery to the loading dock, where the paper would at least be under cover,
although open to theft may be the least worst alternative.

Popular periodicals from Europe may not work out as well, but I'd recommend
that you give it a try.

Carol Schaafsma
Serials Department
University of Hawaii Library