ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

The paper albatross

Ed. note: Although claims are often made about the paperless society, in reality I find that e-mail and the ease of photocopying and printing things out from my computer have increased the amount of paper I live with. I thought readers would find this piece of interest. (Reprinted with permission fromThe University of Memphis Libraries News, spring 1996, vol.2. no.1.)

When we had the card catalog and relied exclusively upon printed indexes, we provided “P” slips for people to write down call numbers and citations. Today the card catalog and many of the printed indexes are online, and our patrons use reams of paper and print citations, call numbers, and even full texts of articles. Instead of ordering boxes of “P” slips, we order truckloads of paper. In FY94/95 we used 94 cases (940 reams) of paper. During this fiscal year, we project that we will use 150 cases (1,500 reams). At $3.00–$5.00 a ream, we will spend from $4,500 to $7,500 just for paper. Printing also requires printer maintenance and a large supply of toner. At $90 per cartridge, we will spend about $1,800 this year for toner. We spend a lot of staff time loading paper and troubleshooting.

Much of what is printed is used by students and faculty for their research, but too much is wasted. Unfortunately, printing through the libraries’ system is complicated and counterintuitive. There are at least five different print functions to learn, each pecu- liar to a specific database or system. Because one printer services several computers, print commands go into a printer queue. Users who don’t understand this print sequence inadvertently print multiple copies. Library staff have found 21 copies of a single printout, none of which were picked up. Other users print one citation (two lines) per page. Because of the networked situation, each printout has a separate cover page, which is also wasted paper. In order to cut waste, we use both sides of the paper. That means that we have to gather and sort the paper. When both sides are used, we dump it in the recycle bin. Of course, all of this paper shuffling wastes staff time, too.

Printing costs may be justified when printing is used in support of the academic curriculum and research. Not everything needs to be printed, however. Sometimes a “P” slip will still do to jot down a call number or a citation. The library staff asks that users carefully evaluate resources before printing, and help us conserve paper, money, and trees.— Betsy Park, head. Reference Department, University of Memphis Libraries