483 Prices and Eligibility

1.0 Library Mail Prices and Fees

1.1 Price Application

Postage is based on the price that applies to the weight (postage) increment of each addressed piece.

1.2 Library Mail Price Application

The Library Mail price is charged per pound or fraction thereof; any fraction of a pound is considered a whole pound. For example, if an item weighs 4.225 pounds, the weight (postage) increment is 5 pounds. The minimum postage price per addressed piece is that for an addressed piece weighing 1 pound.

1.3 Library Mail Presorted Prices

For prices, see Notice 123-Price List.

1.4 Mailing 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 prices. For mail manifested using the Electronic Verification System (eVS) under 705.2.9, only one annual mailing fee for Presorted Library Mail prices, paid at the Post Office where the eVS permit imprint account is held, is required regardless of the number of Postal Service facilities where mailings are verified. 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.

1.5 Computing Postage for Library Mail

1.5.1 Determining Single-Piece Weight

To determine single-piece weight in any mailing of nonidentical-weight pieces, weigh each piece individually. To determine single-piece weight in a mailing of identical-weight pieces, weigh a sample group of at least 10 randomly selected pieces and divide the total sample weight by the number of pieces in the sample. Express all single-piece weights in decimal pounds rounded off to four decimal places.

1.5.2 Computing Postage for Affixed Postage

For each piece, affix the postage for the weight increment (including any discounts). To calculate the total postage for the mailing, add all of the affixed postage amounts for each piece.

1.5.3 Computing Postage for Permit Imprint

To compute the total postage for a mailing, for each weight increment, multiply the number of pieces by the applicable price per piece. Round each product off to four decimal places. Add the products and round up the total postage to the nearest whole cent.

Back to Top

2.0 Content Standards for Library Mail Parcels

2.1 General

Mailable matter meeting one of the specific eligibility standards in 2.3 or 2.4, as applicable, and that is neither mailed or required to be mailed as First-Class Mail nor entered as Periodicals, may be mailed as Library Mail.

2.2 Sender and Recipient Qualifications

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 703.1.0.

2.3 Content Standards for Mailings Between Entities

The items described in this section may be mailed at the Library Mail price 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.

2.4 Qualified Mailings "To" or "From"

The following specific items may be mailed at the Library Mail price 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 2.4a. through 2.4d. and guides or scripts prepared solely for use with such materials.

2.5 Postal Inspection

Library Mail is not sealed against postal inspection. Regardless of physical closure, the mailing of articles at Library Mail prices constitutes consent by the mailer to postal inspection of the contents.

2.6 Attachments and Enclosures

2.6.1 Invoice

An invoice, whether it also serves as a bill, may be placed either inside a Library Mail piece or in an envelope marked "Invoice Enclosed" and attached to the outside of the piece if the invoice relates solely to the matter with which it is mailed. The invoice may show this information:

a. Names and addresses of the sender and addressee.

b. Names and quantities of the articles enclosed, descriptions of each (e.g., price, tax, style, stock number, size, and quality, and, if defective, nature of defects).

c. Order or file number, date of order, date and manner of shipment, shipping weight, postage paid, and initials or name of packer or checker.

2.6.2 Incidental First-Class Mail Attachments and Enclosures

Incidental First-Class Mail matter may be enclosed in or attached to any Library Mail piece without payment of First-Class Mail postage. An incidental First-Class Mail attachment or enclosure must be matter that, if mailed separately, would require First-Class Mail postage, is closely associated with but secondary to the host piece, and is prepared so as not to interfere with postal processing. An incidental First-Class Mail attachment or enclosure may be a bill for the product or publication, a statement of account for past products or publications, or a personal message or greeting included with a product, publication, or parcel. Postage at the Library Mail price for the host piece is based on the combined weight of the host piece and the incidental First-Class Mail attachment or enclosure.

2.6.3 Enclosures in Books and Sound Recordings

Books and sound recordings mailed at the Library Mail price may contain these enclosures as well as the additions and enclosures permitted under 2.6.1, 2.6.2, and 2.7:

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 2.6.3b.

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 2.6.3a.

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.

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.

2.6.4 Other Enclosures

Material mailed at the Library Mail price other than books and sound recordings may contain only those additions and enclosures permitted under 2.6.1, 2.6.2, and 2.7.

2.7 Written Additions

Markings that have the character of personal correspondence require, with certain exceptions, additional postage at the First-Class Mail prices. The following written additions and enclosures do not require additional First-Class Mail postage:

a. The sender's and the addressee's names, occupations, and addresses, preceded by "From" or "To," and directions for handling.

b. Marks, numbers, names, or letters describing the contents.

c. Words or phrases such as "Do Not Open Until Christmas" and "Happy Birthday, Mother."

d. Instructions and directions for the use of the item mailed.

e. A manuscript dedication or inscription not having the nature of personal correspondence.

f. Marks to call attention to words or passages in the text.

g. Corrections of typographical errors in printed matter.

h. Manuscripts accompanying related proof sheets and corrections of proof sheets including corrections of typographical and other errors, changes in the text, insertions of new text, marginal instructions to the printer, and corrective rewrites of parts.

i. Handstamped imprints, unless the added material is in itself personal or converts the original matter to a personal communication.

j. Matter mailable separately as Standard Mail printed on the wrapper, envelope, tag, or label.

Back to Top

3.0 Price Eligibility for Library Mail Parcels

3.1 Basic Weight Standards

There is no minimum weight for Library Mail. A single piece of Library Mail can weigh no more than 70 pounds.

3.2 Price Eligibility Standards

A Presorted Library Mail mailing must contain a minimum of 300 pieces claimed at any combination of 5-digit and basic prices or be part of a combined mailing under 705.22.0. Those pieces in the mailing that meet the 5-digit presort requirements are eligible for the 5-digit presort price, and those pieces that meet the basic presort requirements are eligible for the basic price, subject to the preparation standards in 485.5.0, Preparing Library Mail Parcels, 705.8.0, Preparing Pallets, or 705.20.0, Optional Combined Parcel Mailings. 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.

3.3 Delivery and Return Addresses

All Library Mail must bear a delivery address. The delivery address on each piece must include the correct ZIP Code or ZIP+4 code. Alternative addressing formats under 602.3.0 may be used. Each piece must bear the sender's return address.

3.4 Price Categories for Library Mail

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

a. To qualify for the 5-digit price, a piece must be prepared and sorted to either 5-digit scheme (machinable parcels only) and 5-digit sacks under 485.5.0, Preparing Library Mail Parcels, or to 5-digit scheme (machinable parcels only) and 5-digit pallets under 705.8.0, or 705.20.0, Optional Combined Parcel Mailings. All logical 5-digit bundles on pallets must contain at least 10 pieces. Nonmachinable parcels may qualify for the 5-digit price if prepared to preserve sortation by 5-digit ZIP Code as prescribed by the postmaster of the mailing office.

b. All pieces prepared and sorted under 485.5.0, Preparing Library Mail Parcels, 705.8.0, Preparing Pallets, or 705.20.0, Optional Combined Parcel Mailings that are not eligible for the 5-digit price may qualify for the basic price. Nonmachinable parcels may qualify for the basic price if prepared to preserve sortation by BMC as prescribed by the postmaster.

c. Barcode Discount. The barcode discount applies to Media Mail machinable parcels (see 401.1.5.1) that are included in a mailing of at least 50 pieces of Library Mail or a combined mailing under 705.20.0. The pieces must be entered at basic prices and bear a correct, readable barcode for the ZIP Code shown in the delivery address as required by 402.4.0. The barcode discount is not available for pieces mailed at 5-digit prices.

Back to Top