E714 Library Mail

Summary

E714 describes the eligibility standards for single-piece and presorted Library Mail.

1.0 Qualification

1.1Sender, Recipient, and Contents

Each piece must show in the address or return address the name of a school, college, university, public library, museum, or herbarium or the name of a nonprofit religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic (charitable), agricultural, labor, veterans, or fraternal organization or association. For Library Mail standards, these nonprofit organizations are defined in E670. Only the articles described in 1.2 and 1.3 may be mailed at the Library Mail rate.

1.2Qualified Mailings Between Entities

The items described in this section may be mailed at the Library Mail rate when sent between: (1) schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, museums, and herbariums and nonprofit religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic (charitable), agricultural, labor, veterans, and fraternal organizations or associations; (2) any such institution, organization, or association and an individual who has no financial interest in the sale, promotion, or distribution of the materials; or (3) any such institution, organization, or association and a publisher, if such institution, organization, or association has placed an order to buy such materials for delivery to itself:

a. Books, consisting wholly of reading matter, scholarly bibliography, or reading matter with incidental blank spaces for notations and containing no advertising, except for incidental announcements of books.

b. Printed music, whether in bound or sheet form.

c. Bound volumes of academic theses, whether in typewritten or duplicated form.

d. Periodicals, whether bound or unbound.

e. Sound recordings.

f. Other library materials in printed, duplicated, or photographic form or in the form of unpublished manuscripts.

g. Museum materials, specimens, collections, teaching aids, printed matter, and interpretive materials for informing and furthering the educational work and interests of museums and herbariums.

1.3Qualified Mailings “To” or “From”

The following specific items may be mailed at the Library Mail rate when sent to or from schools, colleges, universities, public libraries, museums, and herbariums and to or from nonprofit religious, educational, scientific, philanthropic (charitable), agricultural, labor, veterans, or fraternal organizations:

a. 16-millimeter or narrower width films, filmstrips, transparencies, slides, and microfilms. All must be positive prints in final form for viewing.

b. Sound recordings.

c. Museum materials, specimens, collections, teaching aids, printed matter, and interpretive materials intended for informing and furthering the educational work and interests of museums and herbariums.

d. Scientific or mathematical kits, instruments, or other devices.

e. Catalogs of the materials in 1.3a through 1.3d and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such materials.

1.4Enclosures in Books and Sound Recordings

Books and sound recordings mailed at the Library Mail rate may contain these enclosures as well as the additions and enclosures permitted under E710:

a. Either one envelope or one addressed postcard. If also serving as an order form, the envelope or card may be in addition to the order form permitted by 1.4b.

b. One order form. If also serving as an envelope or postcard, the order form may be in addition to the envelope or card permitted by 1.4a.

c. With books, announcements of books in book pages or as loose enclosures. These announcements must be incidental and exclusively devoted to books, without extraneous advertising of book-related materials or services. Announcements may fully describe the conditions and methods of ordering books (such as by membership in book clubs) and may contain ordering instructions for use with the single order form permitted in 1.4b.

d. With sound recordings, announcements of sound recordings on title labels, on protective sleeves, on the carton or wrapper, or on loose enclosures. These announcements of sound recordings must be incidental and exclusively devoted to sound recordings. They may not contain extraneous advertising of recording-related materials or services. Announcements may fully describe the conditions and methods of ordering sound recordings (such as by membership in sound recording clubs) and may contain ordering instructions for use with the single order form permitted in 1.4b.

1.5Other Material

Material mailed at the Library Mail rate other than books and sound recordings may contain only those additions and enclosures permitted under E710.

2.0 Rates

Library Mail rates are based on the weight of the piece without regard to zone. The rate categories and discounts are as follows:

a. Single-Piece Rate. The single-piece rate applies to pieces not mailed at a 5-digit or basic rate.

b. 5-Digit Presort Rate. The 5-digit rate applies to pieces that meet the additional requirements of 3.0 and are prepared and presorted to 5-digit scheme (machinable parcels only) and 5-digit destinations as specified in M740 or M041 and M045.

c. Basic Presort Rate. The basic rate applies to pieces that meet the additional requirement in 3.0 and are prepared and presorted as specified in M740 or M041 and M045.

d. Barcoded Discount. The barcoded discount applies to Library Mail machinable parcels (see C050.4.1) that are included in a mailing of at least 50 pieces of Library Mail. The pieces must be entered either at single-piece rates or basic rates and bear a correct, readable barcode for the ZIP Code shown in the delivery address as required by C850. The barcoded discount is not available for pieces mailed at 5-digit rates.

3.0 Additional Standards for Presorted Rates

3.1Basic Information

A Presorted Library Mail mailing must contain a minimum of 300 pieces claimed at any combination of 5-digit and basic rates. Those pieces in the mailing that meet the 5-digit presort requirements are eligible for the 5-digit presort rate, and those pieces that meet the basic presort requirements are eligible for the basic rate, subject to the preparation standards in M740 or M045. Pieces in a mailing do not need to be identical in size and content. Such nonidentical pieces may be merged, sorted together, and presented as a single mailing either with the correct postage affixed to each piece in the mailing or with postage paid with a permit imprint if authorized by Business Mailer Support (BMS), USPS headquarters.

3.2Mailing Fee

A mailing fee must be paid once each 12-month period at each post office of mailing by or for any person who mails at the Presorted Library Mail rates. The fee may be paid in advance only for the next 12 months and only during the last 60 days of the current service period. The fee charged is that in effect on the date of payment.

3.35-Digit Rate

To qualify for the 5-digit rate, a piece must be prepared and sorted to either 5-digit scheme (machinable parcels only) and 5-digit sacks under M740 or to 5-digit scheme (machinable parcels only) and 5-digit pallets under M045. All logical 5-digit packages on pallets must contain at least 10 pieces. Nonmachinable parcels may qualify for the 5-digit rate if prepared to preserve sortation by 5-digit ZIP Code as prescribed by the postmaster of the mailing office.

3.4Basic Rate

All pieces prepared and sorted under M740 or M045 that are not eligible for the 5-digit rate qualify for the basic rate. Nonmachinable parcels may qualify for the basic rate if prepared to preserve sortation by BMC as prescribed by the postmaster.

DMM Issue 58 (8-10-03)

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