UPS Campusship and the CNY Peer to Peer Project FAQ

UPS CampusShip and the CNY Peer to Peer Project FAQ

Why UPS? The NExpress Libraries involved in the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) project all use UPS CampusShip for their delivery of monographs and many ConnectNY libraries already use CampusShip. UPS CampusShip provides access to an inter-state UPS service that is focused on delivery for libraries. This will be a pilot project as part of an effort to extend this service to a large group of academic libraries in and beyond New York State.

What is UPS CampusShip? CampusShip is a service of UPS that is used by many libraries to ship loanable items, especially when time is of the essence or the materials are of high value. In most cases it is next-day delivery, and tracking is built in. A CampusShip account is separate from an institution’s regular UPS account and is specifically for libraries.

What does it Cost? The cost of CampusShip is on a per-shipment basis, and UPS invoices weekly. The rate will depend on the shipping distance, weight of the item, and the library’s negotiated rate with UPS. For example, within the Central NY region, the average cost per item is about $4.00. Note that UPS fees will be in addition to the cost of Empire Library Delivery’s courier service.

Is this service just available for use between CNY and NExpress libraries? No, any library with a CampusShip account can use the service as this is being managed by the 3Rs. Many of you already use CampusShip to exchange library materials with your colleagues in other states or with libraries that don’t use Empire Library Delivery. Participants in the P2P project can use this service to exchange materials with each other, but may also use it to ship to libraries outside the P2P project. Each participating library will need to determine its own criteria for its use of UPS CampusShip.

How does this fit into the big picture of the delivery system in NY State? As we begin implementing the CampusShip service, we thought it also made sense to hire a consultant to work with us on assessing the existing NY courier system, and also exploring regional delivery in NY and New England. Our peer-to-peer project will be part of a pilot that will eventually include other NY State stakeholders, such as CUNY, SUNY, and the IDS Project. We will also be working with stakeholders in Massachusetts, and we hope in other states as well. CampusShip offers an additional delivery option for libraries that currently subscribe to Empire Library Delivery and might be used for rush deliveries and/or items of high value.

Who is in charge? CNY leadership is working with NExpress and the Empire Library Delivery (ELD) management team (Kathy Gundrum, Capital District Library Council and Debby Emerson, Central NY Library Resources Council) to coordinate aspects of the delivery process. ELD also has an advisory team representative of its stakeholders: CNY, the IDS Project, SUNY, and CUNY. The advisory team will provide input as the pilot moves forward.

How will it work?  All of the libraries participating in the P2P system will need to have UPS CampusShip accounts (most do already).  Each participating library will receive a spreadsheet listing of all the P2P participants.  Participating libraries will update their Corporate Address Book in UPS CampusShip to include all P2P participants. (The required information will be provided on the spreadsheet.)  Participants will create and send shipments according to their usual workflow.

Will libraries still be able to use their existing UPS CampusShip Accounts? Yes, each library may continue to use its existing UPS CampusShip account.

How do we get started? Each library in CNY and NExpress will provide the UPS contact information for each campus as well as the shipping address and CampusShip account number. Once this information is collected, it will be distributed to all CNY and NExpress libraries to update their individual address books in UPS CampusShip.