Tough decisions: phasing out a popular option to maintain overall service viability
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the University of Mississippi Libraries' experience in implementing a printing cost-recovery service, unexpectedly finding itself managing a large number of cash transactions, and ultimately – many years later – eliminating the cash payment option.
Design/methodology/approach
An analysis of print logs was completed along with a study of the various costs (hardware/software, personnel, consumables, and transaction fees) in order to examine the total operating costs of the system.
Findings
Personnel costs related to cash transactions were the greatest expense related to operating the system. Increasing cash-handling costs were driving up the overall operating costs of the public print system. After the cash payment option was eliminated, overall print volume decreased, but the corresponding decrease in operating expenses meant that the library had new opportunities for expanding the and enhancing the service.
Originality/value
This case study could be of benefit to others looking to do a similar analysis of fee-based services – particularly high-volume services where cash is a common method of payment.
Keywords
Citation
Herrera, K. (2013), "Tough decisions: phasing out a popular option to maintain overall service viability", The Bottom Line, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 109-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/BL-03-2013-0007
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited