Every time I visit a library, I am impressed by the tremendous resources that are avail-able to each of us. I have visited many libraries across North America and always

come away feeling that we are fortunate indeed. Recently, while visiting my local library,I found and checked out a couple of books-on-tape I wanted to listen to while travelingin my car. Now, I am enjoying them each day. I am learning, growing, and hopefullybecoming better person. You can take this simple, yet important, little experience andmultiply it millions of times every day as it happens throughout the world. Libraries helpmake these kinds of experiences possible. Thanks to each of you who are involved withlibraries in any way to make these great resources available in our communities.

When Charlie Gary and I formed Unique Management Services, Inc. nine years ago to help libraries recover overdue materials, we were so small that we asked my wife,Bonnie, to help make calls to delinquent patrons. She was quite hesitant at first, becauseshe does not like to call people and does not like people other than her relatives andfriends to call her. It did not help that we could not afford to pay her. The only way Iconvinced her to start calling was when we talked about the simple principle that thesenon-returned materials belong to our library clients and they have to use budget/taxdollars to replace them if they are not returned. Plus, other patrons cannot use themunless we help get them returned so they can start circulating again. That was enough to get her started.

After a while, she more fully realized that our calls are so gentle and respectful thatwe do not alienate people. Also, she learned that we are mainly trying to help patronstake action to return materials and that many were apologetic that she had to call in thefirst place. Of course, there were a few patrons that were not very pleasant to her. Someof her friends would ask her how she could make those calls. Her common responsewas, “It is just not right that patrons would check something out from the library andnot return it. When libraries have to replace those items, it costs communities a lot ofmoney.” The thing that made it easier for her to make hundreds of calls was the fact thatshe was helping other communities.

Now we have quite a few contact specialists who are calling patrons all over NorthAmerica. Last year, Unique Management helped our clients recover over $9 millionworth of materials and fines/fees. The vast majority of what we recover is materials. Wehave learned that most of the items we help recover are popular materials that our clientswant to keep circulating. Additionally, for most of our clients, we recover more in cashthan we charge in fees. In this sense, our service is not only asset protecting but also rev-enue producing.

I am aware that some of you are facing significant budget challenges and that mate-rials budgets are being reduced at some libraries. This makes it even more important toprotect and hold on to materials that the library already has so budget dollars do nothave to be used to replace them. Currently, we are working with over 500 libraries torecover overdue materials. That is all we do. If we are not already working with yourlibrary, we would like the opportunity to demonstrate that we can help preserve precious library assets and likely generate additional revenue.

I wish each of you well as you deal with the challenges of tight budgets. As a librarypatron, I am amazed and grateful for the resources made available to our communitiesfrom libraries. Thanks!

Volume 6, Issue 1 Spring 2003Library Specialists

MATERIAL MATTERSU N I Q U E M A N A G E M E N T S E R V I C E S , I N C .

Message from the PresidentBudget Challenges? We can help.Lyle J. Stucki

There are many benefits to thelibrary that come from using UMS

Material Recovery Service. Probably thesingle most important is material quick-ly returning to circulation, allowingpatrons, who may be waiting to usethem.

As we travel and visit libraries acrossthe US and Canada, we learn aboutsome of the costsassociatedwith replac-ing lostitems.Most ofthe time,there aresignificantcosts otherthan just the price of lost materials. These are “hiddencosts” that may not come to mind ini-tially, but when carefully considered areextremely significant.

Lost items must first be identified.A place from where the items can berepurchased must be located. There aremany items that may be out of print orno longer available. Typically, a pur-chase order will be issued for therepurchase, which may involve severalsteps. Money that could be spent buy-ing new, popular items is spentreplacing lost items. Once the new itemarrives, it must be re-cataloged and

Hidden Costs Equal Significant LossDick Neal and Jonathan HayesSales Department

“ Money that could be spent

buying new, popularitems is spent replacing lost

items. ”

For more information about Unique’s material recovery

services, contact Dick Neal orJonathan Hayes at 800-879-5453

or at dneal@unique-mgmt.com orjhayes@unique-mgmt.com.

(continued on page 2)

MATERIAL MATTERSPage 2 MATERIAL MATTERSPage 2Page 2 MATERIAL MATTERS

Top Ten: FDCPA Guidelines Kenes BowlingDirector of Customer Service

In the course of working with UMS, you have probably heard usrefer to the “FDCPA”, and its requirements, when we explain

why our letters have to be worded a certain way or why some ofour specific procedures are required.

For those of you who do not know, The FDCPA refers to theFair Debt Collection Practices Act, passed by congress in 1977 tocivilize the activity of third party collection agencies. AlthoughUnique Management is a library material recovery service, which isquite different from traditional collection agencies, we are still sub-ject to the FDCPA and adhere to it strictly.

Prior to passage of the act, horror stories abounded of abuseby thick-skinned collectors trying to coerce debtors tocough up the bucks. Late night calls, contactswith employers and neighbors, vague threatsof foreclosures, and even imprisonmentwere tactics used by a few unethical mem-bers of the collection industry. People wereliterally berated and belittled by overzealouscollectors trying to earn commissions from debtorswhose lives they routinely interrupted.

The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) broughtwelcome relief from such abuse by circumscribing collection activitywith good, common sense law requiring third party collectors totreat people with dignity and respect. It is a good law and one thatUMS firmly follows, in both letter and intent.

While specific state collection laws differ here and there, theygenerally follow the FDCPA’s guidelines very closely so that ourpatron contact procedures can be uniform from one jurisdiction to the next.

The following “Top Ten” list targets the most fundamentalaspects of the FDCPA’s influence on our patron contacts. Asalways, if you ever have a question about the FDCPA and its appli-cation in our material recovery process please call or e-mail us. Wewill be happy to respond.

10. Answering machine messages. When we encounter ananswering machine at a patron’s residence, we leave a generic mes-sage for the patron to contact the library. We do not even intimatethe existence of an overdue obligation. The FDCPA prohibits dis-closure of the debt to any third party (other than the spouse, or theparent/guardian). Since we do not know who will listen to theanswering machine, our message contains no reference to the debt,but encourages the patron to contact the library. That gives librarystaff a chance to, then, work with the patron.

9. The “Mini-Miranda.” All of our letters contain the state-ment: “This is an attempt to collect a debt and any informationobtained will be used for that purpose.” This removes any equivoca-tion and clearly communicates the intent of the contact to the patron.

8. Security Envelopes. UMS mails all of its letters in securityenvelopes so that our address, etc. cannot be detected until theenvelope is opened by the recipient—-presumably the patron towhom the letter is mailed. This protects the patron’s confidentialityand prevents “third party disclosure”.

7. Right to debt validation. All of our letters contain specificlanguage letting the patron know that he/she has 30 days in whichto dispute the validity of the debt. If the patron disputes the debt,we secure information from the library that proves or “validates”the debt. We forward that information to the patron, before pro-ceeding with further contact.

6. Letter format. The text of our letters is suchthat it cannot “overshadow” those parts of the

letter that explain the patron’s rights. Inother words, there can be no “fine print”which minimizes the patron’s understand-

ing of the “Mini-Miranda” or the right todispute the debt.5. Phone calls. Calls are made between 3:00

p.m. and 9:00 p.m. during the week and from 9:00 a.m. to3:00 p.m. on Saturdays to protect the patron from being contactedat inconvenient times. No phone calls are made to the patron’splace of employment or to any other location, or at any other time,unless the patron specifically requests otherwise.

4. Bankruptcies. The FDCPA coordinates with bankruptcy lawto prohibit pursuing debts that are listed in bankruptcy proceedingsuntil the court makes a ruling on whether to award financial pro-tection to the claimant.

3. Ceasing contact. If the patron tells us to stop contactingthem, we must honor that instruction, even though it prohibits usfrom further helping the patron resolve the debt with the library.

2. Language. People must be treated with respect in all com-munications. Letters or phone calls that “harass” the debtor arestrictly prohibited. We, at UMS, maintain patron respect and pro-fessional civility at all times.

1. Honesty. Collectors cannot lie to a debtor by inferring con-sequences or actions that do not exist or that will not be taken. For example, there can be no threats of prison, etc. For most of our clients, we inform patrons that credit reporting can result fromfailure to resolve the long overdue obligation with the library. We cannot say that we will credit report if we do not intend to do so.

All UMS staff are carefully trained and tested in FDCPA lawand procedures, but more importantly, the stated mission of UMSto treat our customers’ patrons with dignity and respect corre-sponds well with the law. It is part and parcel of how we conductour business and is integral to our service culture.

“ It is a good law and one that UMS firmly

follows, in both letter and intent. ”

Hidden Costs Equal Significant Loss(continued from page 1)re-shelved. Although the steps may vary slightly from libraryto library, this process becomes increasingly costly and signifi-cant when considering that a library that does not have amaterial recovery process in place, is probably completingthese steps on a regular basis.

We understand that library staff time and resources areprecious. We encourage libraries to take a look at what mate-rials are outstanding and consider the costs associated withtheir replacement.

MATERIAL MATTERS Page 3MATERIAL MATTERS Page 3

We hope you enjoy

MATERIAL MATTERS

A newsletter designedand produced for library

professionals.

If you have comments or sug-gestions please don’t hesitate to

call us at (800) 879-5453.

Or send e-mail to:nicole@unique-mgmt.com

Fines are FineKenes BowlingDirector of Customer Service

Occasionally, prospective customers will ask whether they should submit patron accounts to UMS when materials have beenreturned and only fines are owed. After all, materials are the most important thing! The fact is, materials are the most important thing, and libraries incur significant expense to recover them—staff time, notices,

printers, postage and lost circulation numbers. The fairest solution is to ask those patrons who created the expense by failing to returnmaterials, to help with the cost of recovering them. That is what fines are designed to do. No one likes to impose them, but it’s themost fiscally sound and logical way to help libraries recoup their loss. Below are ten considerations for the importance and fairness ofpursuing accounts with fines-only balances when submitting accounts to UMS:

1. A vast majority of our library clients submit accounts based on a minimum balance amount. While a majority of the accountswe receive do include unreturned materials, most libraries send accounts that meet their minimum balance requirement regardless ofthe make-up of the balance. Again, it’s the fair thing to do.

2. Many patrons will never respond to internal notices sent by the library. Therefore, if the library chooses not to submit fines-onlyaccounts to Unique Management for collection, these accounts will simply stay on the patron’s record and may never be resolved.

3. Unique Management’s gentle nudge approach is an effective way to remind patrons that their accounts are still delinquent evenafter they have returned their materials. Often, patrons will respond and pay their account in full, thus clearing the library’s records andallowing patrons to continue using the library.

4. If Unique Management can help the library recover unpaid fines, the library will generate increased revenue to cover the cost of pursuing delinquent patrons. These costs include internal expenses such as staff time and postage as well as the fees paid to UniqueManagement.

5. Most libraries that submit fines-only accounts and have a standard fine structure will qualify for our Budget Neutrality guaran-tee. With this guarantee, UMS promises to never charge more than the amount of cash we help recover, thus ensuring that there is nonegative impact on the library’s budget due to the cost of collection. As many of our customers know, our service helps produce rev-enue for the library.

6. Libraries are strong proponents of equality, yet it is difficult to be fair if the library submits patrons to collection for owing $25in materials while not submitting patrons for owing $25 in fines. Both patrons owe a debt to the library, and thus should be treatedequally.

7. The main goal of most libraries is to recover their materials. Unique Management, however, has helped hundreds of librariesrecover a significant amount of fine revenue with no loss in patron goodwill. In fact, patrons appreciate the library’s attempt to be fairand to be good stewards of the community’s resources and dollars.

8. For the reasons mentioned above, most of our clients ask us to pursue fines even after patrons have returned their materials.Unique Management can provide contact names for numerous clients who successfully submit fines-only accounts.

9. Fines often go unpaid because patrons return their materials to the night drop box and simply never think about the fines thathave accrued. In many cases, a gentle reminder from Unique Management in the form of our Remaining Balance letter will promptpatrons to return to the library and clear their account.

10. By choosing to submit and pursue fines-only accounts, the library can maximize the benefits of the Collection AgencyModule, allowing it to work as it was designed and keep the entire process automated.

o Please make corrections to my name and/or address information as shown below.

o Please add the person listed below to your mailing list for this newsletter.

o Please send the person below more information about your material-recovery service.

Name:

Title:

Library:

Address:

City: State: Zip:

Page 4 MATERIAL MATTERS

Creative Use of Technologyby Chris Whorton

With our ever-expanding base oflibraries, we have worked dili-

gently to provide the highest level ofservice. In fact, we have seen, and hopethat you agree, that our service hascontinued to improve and becomemore effective. One of the recentimprovements is our Web Reports.Previously, we had mailed all of ourclients their reports on a monthly basis.This added up to mailing hundreds,even thousands of pages to librarieseach year. Storage of these reports wasquite cumbersome to many of you.This is one of the issues that motivatedus to develop the Web Reports. Withthe Web Reports, you have found thatyou can view, download, or even printeach report. Previous reports remainstored on the web site for at least oneyear for your reference purposes. Also,this has allowed us to get reports toyou in a much more timely manner.From the feedback that many of youhave sent, we have made our mostrecent modification. Now, most of thereports can be viewed in PDF, Excel,Text, and HTML formats. As always,we will continue to look for ways toimprove our service. This is why yourfeedback is so highly valued. We hopeyou have seen that your voice is heardand makes a difference here at Unique!

Suspending and Resuming AccountsEd SiewertDirector of Operations

From time to time, it is necessary totemporarily stop collection activity

on an account. This often occurs when a patron has set up a payment plan orestablished a date on whichthey agree to resolvethe account. A patronmay also dispute thebalance directly withthe library or have aquestion that needs to beresolved before any further contact ismade. This article will define suspendsand resumes, discuss the monthlySuspended Accounts Report, and explainhow the library can take these actions.

The terminology used when com-municating with Unique is veryimportant to ensure the correct actionsare taken on accounts. It is important tostay away from vague language, such as“stop activity” or “cease activity”. AtUnique, a patron’s account can be sus-pended and resumed. Suspending apatron’s account is a temporary stoppageof collection efforts. All letters andphone calls are halted until the libraryresumes the account. Resuming anaccount starts the collection processagain.

The library can keep current onsuspended accounts by looking at theSuspended Accounts Report within eachset of Monthly Management Reports on

the web. This report gives a list of allsuspended patrons, and details the initialbalance as well as the current balance inorder for the library to make a determi-

nation of what action needsto be taken; whether to

maintain suspendedstatus or resume col-lection activity.

Below are suspend-ed situations and appropriate

number codes that are used to aid indefining the patron’s status. Once theSuspended Accounts Report is printed,the library can write an update on theirsuspended accounts report by theaccount number.

If the patron has not lived up to theiragreement, you can resume service bycircling the account number and eitherplacing a code 8 to the side or writingthe word “resume”.

If the account was suspended and youwant all collection service stopped perma-nently; and the account closed by waivingthe remaining balance, circle the accountnumber and place a code 7 to the side.

It is important to review theSuspended Accounts Report so thelibrary can resume accounts in a timelyfashion. If the account has been sus-pended for a couple of months and hashad no activity it may need to beresumed. In any case, the accountshould be resumed in order to leaveenough time for contact before theaccount is credit reported.

When payment arrangements aremade with a patron, please send us anemail message to data@unique-mgmt.com stating to suspend thatpatron’s account. Please include thepatron’s name and account numberwithin the email. The quickest way to have Unique suspend or resume apatron’s account is to send an email to the above address asking us toresume/suspend activity for patron’sname and account number. Multiplerequests may be sent in one email. Ifyou have additional questions regardingthis process, feel free to contact yourcustomer service representative.

“ The terminology used when communicating

with Unique is very important. ”

MATERIAL MATTERS Page 5

Join the Club!Drew MorganCustomer Service Specialist

Unique Management likes to feature library websites that we

find appealing or interesting. In thisissue, we are featuring the DeKalbCounty (GA) Public Library’s OnLineBook Club.

When patrons visit the library web-site at www.dekalb.public.lib.ga.us, theywill find a link to the Online BookClub. Patrons can sign up by enteringtheir e-mail address and first name.Monday through Friday, the library willdeliver a five-minute selection from abook. If a patron likes a particular bookthey are invited to check it out at thelibrary. After emailing two or three com-plete chapters, the library will start anew book. The Online Book Clubs areoffered in cooperation withWWW.CHAPTER-A-DAY.COM.

There are three different clubs thatpatrons can join.

The Original Book Club is gearedfor patrons that love a wide variety ofbooks. This club features both fictionand non-fiction titles. The websitedescribes this club as being for patrons“in a reading rut”. Every week a newtitle is offered.

The Teen Book Club is geared forpatrons 13 years and older. It centerson mysteries, comedies, true-life adven-ture, and science fiction titles. This cluboffers teens an opportunity to receive anew title for their enjoyment eachweek.

The Fiction Book Club is gearedfor patrons that love great fiction. Itoffers selections from some of today’smost popular writers. The library web-site lists Amy Tan’s The Bonesetter’sDaughter, and John Grisham’s APainted House as examples of titlespatrons can enjoy.

Staff ChangesNicole BarnettChief Operating Officer

In the most recent Material Matters newsletter there was an arti-cle announcing my promotion to Chief Operating Officer. I betsome of you were wondering who replaced me as Director ofOperations. His name is Ed Siewert. Ed is also a lifelong residentof Jeffersonville, Indiana and graduated from Indiana UniversitySoutheast with a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science in2000. Ed came to Unique Management in 1998 as a part timeemployee in the Production Department. In 1999, he went fulltime as the Assistant Production Manager. Soon after becomingthe Assistant Production Manager a need arose in our ContactCenter for a person to head up that department. Ed was

approached and accepted the position. Ed led the Contact Center for two years beforeaccepting the position of Director of Operations. Ed knows the operations of Uniqueinside and out and will assure, as I did, that you, our customers, continue to receiveexceptional service.

Upon Ed’s promotion, the Assistant Contact Center Manager,Michael Iacovazzi-Pau, was promoted to Contact CenterManager. Michael was born in Luxembourg, Germany, butmoved to Guston, Kentucky in 1998. Michael obtained hisAssociates Degree in Tourism Management in 2000 and hisBachelors Degree in Business Administration with a concentra-tion in Hospitality Management from Sullivan University in2003. Michael speaks both English and French fluently as well asa little Spanish. Michael has been with Unique since late 2000working as a Contact Specialist and looks forward to his newchallenges as Contact Center Manager.

Brad White was promoted to the Contact Center Team Leaderon December 30, 2002. Originally from Kentucky, Brad gradu-ated from Union University with a Bachelors Degree in Spanish.Brad is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity Degree fromThe Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Fluent in bothEnglish and Spanish, Brad hopes to someday become a mission-ary in a Spanish speaking country. Brad has been with Uniquesince early 2002 as a Contact Specialist, and he too looks for-ward to his new challenges as Team Leader.

The Migration Migraine John GoodyearManager of Information Services

Often, either as a pre-migration cleanup or as a routinedatabase maintenance function, you’ll want to purge

old fines and reduce the size of those files. This can be agood thing to do, but it needs to be done with fullawareness of the repercussions. When you purge old finerecords, you need to be aware that you will more thanlikely be losing your links to at least some of the moneythe patron owes you, the title of what it is owed for, andwhen it was dated. You need to be sure you have consciouslymade the decision to write off these charges before taking this path.

Unique Management’s interest in this process involves the information for chargesthat have been submitted for collection. Without the title and date, there is nothing tosubstantiate the claim against the patron, and the charges will have to be dropped fromour system. We understand that there are times that this is necessary, but we have alsoseen libraries surprised by the results.

If you plan to do a purge like this, please consult with the support staff at UMS. We can help you be sure of where you are going with it and coordinate our efforts.

“ If you plan to do a purgeplease consult with the support staff

at UMS. ”

Page 6 MATERIAL MATTERSUnique Management Services, Inc.119 E. Maple St.Jeffersonville, IN 47130

Happy Anniversary!“Over 5 years of Service”

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