[OPLINLIST] Book repairs

[thuraich@oplin.org]

Do any of you outsource your book repairs?  My library board has asked me
to check into the cost of having someone else repair our library books
rather than hiring someone to do it in-house.  The type of repairs I am
talking about are basic (pages/covers have come loose, etc.)  We always
seem to have stacks of books coming back with minor damage and we have a
staff member who usually repairs the books and processes the new books
before they go into circulation.  She is retiring and the board wishes to
avoid hiring a new employee to take her place.  The current staff already
have too great a work load to keep up with the book repairs and
processing.

I Googled book repair services and found one company (Peabody) that
charges quite a lot.

If any of you do use an outside company to repair your books what kind of
prices do they charge?  How often do you send your books in for repair?

Thank you in advance for your help!

Christina Thurairatnam