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Recent Lists
Several of these lists have been shared by the Postal Service with the Postal Regulatory Commission as part of the annual compliance review (ACR). Others have been created using lists shared online. Note that some of the spreadsheets have tabs at the bottom of the page. Some files are very large and may not be available for viewing online, but they can be downloaded or accessed directly on Google Docs here.
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Save the Post Office is no longer tweeting (as of Oct. 28, 2022), but here's an archive of previous tweets.
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First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat.
By Christopher W. Shaw
“The Postal Service is the crown jewel of the American experiment, our most efficient, trusted and beloved public service. With First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat, Christopher Shaw makes a brilliant case for polishing the USPS up and letting it shine in the 21st century.”—John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and author of Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis
How the Post Office Created America: A History
By Winifred Gallagher
A masterful history of a long underappreciated institution, How the Post Office Created America examines the surprising role of the postal service in our nation’s political, social, economic, and physical development. Winifred Gallagher presents the history of the post office as America’s own story, told from a fresh perspective over more than two centuries. Gallagher argues that now, more than ever before, the imperiled post office deserves this effort, because just as the founders anticipated, it created forward-looking, communication-oriented, idea-driven America. Available on Amazon. Read an excerpt here.
The Prairie Post Office: Enlarging the Common Life in Rural North Dakota
By K. Amy Phillips and Steven R. Bolduc
SAVE OUR POST OFFICE! This was the plea when the USPS determined to restructure or close post offices across the US, including 76 locations in North Dakota. In response, authors Amy Phillips and Steven Bolduc set out to explore the contemporary role of post offices in ND. The Prairie Post Office documents an essential institution and includes a history of northern Dakota Territory & North Dakota rural postal delivery by Kevin Carvell and 100+ color photos by Wayne Gudmundson. Available on Amazon.
Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service
By Devin Leonard
n Neither Snow Nor Rain, journalist Devin Leonard tackles the fascinating, centuries-long history of the USPS, from the first letter carriers through Franklin’s days, when postmasters worked out of their homes and post roads cut new paths through the wilderness. Under Andrew Jackson, the post office was molded into a vast patronage machine, and by the 1870s, over 70 percent of federal employees were postal workers. As the country boomed, the USPS aggressively developed new technology, from mobile post offices on railroads and airmail service to mechanical sorting machines and optical character readers. Available on Amazon.
Preserving the People’s Post Office
By Christopher Shaw
This book exposes how numerous forces are intent on undermining an essential government agency’s public service commitment. “Through preferential postage rates for nonprofits the Postal Service facilitates civic involvement and a healthy democracy,” writes Shaw. Read online here, and at Amazon here.
American Mail: Enlarger of the Common Life
By Wayne E Fuller (1972)
This book records and interprets the history of American postal service. It provides yet another means for viewing American history: showing the progress of technology (the impact of the railroad, the automobile, and the airplane) and presenting the debates over innovation (over the postage stamp, free home delivery, RFD, parcel post, and airmail). Read review.
Post Offices in a Foggy World: Understanding the Value of the New Deal Post Office and its Public Art in the National Landscape
By Barrett E. Reiter
The one thousand New Deal era post offices with interior art (commissioned under the Treasury Department’s Section of Fine Arts) that are spread throughout the nation, are representative not only of architectural norms of the era but of social values. These resources are defined by a unique relationship between art, architecture, and community that demonstrate a concern for regional identity, state a belief in equal access, assert that citizens are entitled to aesthetically beautiful environments and cultural experiences, and stand as crucial remnants of an exceptional moment in American history. Yet today, recent divestments of post offices by the United States Postal Service (USPS) have cast doubt on the future of a number of these significant historic resources. Read here.
There’s Always Work at the Post Office: African American Postal Workers and the Fight for Jobs, Justice, and Equality
By Philip Rubio
This book brings to life the important but neglected story of African American postal workers and the critical role they played in the U.S. labor and black freedom movements. Historian Philip Rubio, a former postal worker, integrates civil rights, labor, and left movement histories that too often are written as if they happened separately. Read an excerpt here.
Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse
By Richard John
In the United States, the unimpeded transmission of information has long been hailed as a positive good. In few other countries has informational mobility been such a cherished ideal. Richard R. John shows how postal policy can help explain this state of affairs. He discusses its influence on the development of such information-intensive institutions as the national market, the voluntary association, and the mass party. Available on Amazon here.
Going Postal: U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s husband sells post offices to his friends, cheap.
By Peter Byrne.
National award-winning investigative journalist Peter Byrne reports that the husband of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California has been selling post offices at bargain basement prices—often to his own business partners. Richard C. Blum is the chairman of CBRE Group Inc., the largest commercial real estate firm in the world. In 2011, the Postal Service awarded Blum’s company an exclusive contract to sell off postal real estate in cities and towns across America. Byrne’s in-depth investigation details the many apparent conflicts of interests driving the CBRE deals. Available online from Amazon here. Read excerpt.
Understanding Postal Privatization: Corporations, Unions and “The Public Interest”
By Sarah Ryan
A thesis submitted to the School of Management and Labor Relations Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, January 1999. Read online here.
A history of public buildings under the control of the Treasury Department
Washington, DC, 1901
Read online here.
Reports and Studies
| Name of Document | Source | Number | Date | URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st Century Post Office: Aligning with the National Broadband Infrastructure Initiative | USPS OIG | DA-MA-12-002 | 1/23/2012 | Link |
| 21st Century Post Office: Non-Postal Products and Services | USPS OIG | DA-MA-12-005 | 7/16/2012 | Link |
| 21st Century Post Office: Opportunities to Share Excess Resources | USPS OIG | DA-MA-12-003 | 2/9/2012 | Link |
| 100 Years of Parcel Post | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-14-004 | 12/20/2013 | Link |
| Adapting Postal Facilities to Support Community Resilience | Carnegie Mellon University | Link | ||
| Advertising Mail: Past and Present | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-16-006 | 3/28/2016 | Link |
| A Framework for Considering the Social Value of Postal Services | The Urban Institute/PRC | 2/2/2010 | Link | |
| Analysis of the Postal Service̍s FY 2014 Program Performance Report and FY 2015 Performance Plan | PRC | 7/7/2015 | Link | |
| Analysis of the Postal Service’s FY 2015 Annual Performance Report and FY 2016 Performance Plan | PRC | 5/4/2016 | Link | |
| Analysis of the Postal Service’s FY 2019 Annual Performance Report and FY 2020 Performance Plan | PRC | 6/1/2020 | Link | |
| Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement for Fiscal Year 2013 (Revised April 10, 2014) | PRC | 4/10/2014 | Link | |
| Annual Compliance Determination Report Fiscal Year 2014 | PRC | 3/27/2015 | Link | |
| Annual Compliance Determination Report Fiscal Year 2018 | PRC | 4/12/2019 | Link | |
| Annual Compliance Determination Report for 2015 | PRC | ACR 2015 | 3/28/2016 | Link |
| Annual Compliance Report FY 2019 | PRC | ACR2019 | 3/25/2020 | Link |
| Annual Report to Congress for 2016 | USPS | 12/29/2016 | Link | |
| Annual Report to Congress for 2018 | PRC | 108025 | 1/10/2019 | Link |
| Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2014 | PRC | 1/5/2015 | Link | |
| Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2015 | PRC | 1/6/2016 | Link | |
| Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2019 | PRC | 1/21/2020 | Link | |
| Annual Report to the President and Congress Fiscal Year 2020 | PRC | 1/26/2021 | Link | |
| Approved Shippers Pricing and Customer Service | USPS OIG | SM-AR-16-008 | 5/21/2016 | Link |
| Assessment of Overtime Activity | USPS OIG | 20-209-R20 | 8/25/2020 | Link |
| Assessment of the U.S. Postal Service’s Service Performance and Costs | USPS OIG | NO-AR-19-008 | 9/17/2019 | Link |
| Assessment of Worksharing | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-10-005 | 7/12/2010 | Link |
| Barriers to Retail Network Optimization | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-11-005 | 6/9/2011 | Link |
| Billions Served: Foot Traffic at the Post Office | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-17-012 | 9/11/2017 | Link |
| Competitive Products Pricing Best Practices | USPS OIG | CP-AR-19-003 | 9/11/2019 | Link |
| Congressional Mandate on Excess Space | USPS OIG | SM-AR-19-001 | 12/14/2018 | Link |
| Congressional Mandate on Excess Space | USPS OIG | SM-AR-19-001 | 12/14/2018 | Link |
| Contracting of Real Estate Management Services | USPS OIG | SM-AR-13-001 | 6/12/2013 | Link |
| Contract Postal Unit Operations Oversight | USPS OIG | FT-AR-17-002 | 11/3/2016 | Link |
| Contract Postal Units: Analysis of Location, Service, and Financial Characteristics | GAO | GAO-13-41 | 11/1/2012 | Link |
| Cost of Appeals for Closing Retail Facilities | USPS OIG | CI-AR-12-005 | 7/12/2012 | Link |
| Customer Retention | USPS OIG | MS-AR-14-008 | 9/25/2014 | Link |
| Deployment of Operational Changes | USPS OIG | 21-014-R21 | 11/06/2020 | Link |
| DOD Needs More Comprehensive Planning to Address Military and Overseas Absentee Voting Challenges | GAO | GAO-16-378  | 4/20/2016 | Link |
| DSCF Standard Mail Load Leveling | PRC | N2014-1 | 12/27/2013 | Link |
| e-Government and the Postal Service — A Conduit to Help Government Meet Citizens’ Needs | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-13-003 | 1/7/2013 | Link |
| Effectiveness of the Postal Service’s Efforts to Reduce Non-Career Employee Turnover | USPS OIG | 19POG001SAT000-R20 | 2/12/2020 | Link |
| Embracing the Future: Making the Tough Choices to Preserve Universal Mail Service | President's Commission | 7/31/2003 | Link | |
| Estimated Costs of the Amendment to the FY 2016 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill | CBO | 7/13/2015 | Link | |
| Evolutionary Network Development Service Changes, 2006 | PRC | N2006-1 | 12/19/2006 | Link |
| Expanding Nonpostal Products and Services at Retail Facilities Could Result in Benefits but May Have Limited Viability | GAO | GAO-20-354 | 3/1/2020 | Link |
| Facility Conditions Review - Eastern District | USPS OIG | SM-AR-17-004 | 5/10/2017 | Link |
| Failure to Deliver: Harm Caused by U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's Changes to Postal Service Mail Delivery | US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs | 9/16/2020 | Link | |
| Federal Real Property: Strategic Partnerships and Local Coordination Could Help Agencies Better Utilize Space | GAO | GAO-12-779 | 7/1/2011 | Link |
| Federal Vehicles: Composition and Management of Agency Fleets | GAO | GAO-16-455T | 2/26/2016 | Link |
| Financial Analysis of Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement | PRC | 3/29/2016 | Link | |
| Financial Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement 2014 | PRC | 4/1/2015 | Link | |
| Financial Analysis of United States Postal Service Financial Results and 10-K Statement FY 2019 | PRC | 5/7/2020 | Link | |
| Funding the Universal Service Obligation | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-16-005 | 3/21/2016 | Link |
| FY 2020 Annual Compliance Report | USPS | ACR2020 | 12/29/2020 | Link |
| Generation Z and the Mail | USPS OIG | RISC-WP-20-009 | 09/21/2020 | Link |
| Governance of the U.S. Postal Service | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-17-002 | 11/10/2016 | Link |
| Guiding Principles for a New Universal Service Obligation | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-15-001 | 11/17/2014 | Link |
| History of Post Office Construction 1900-1940 | USPS | 7/1/1982 | Link | |
| Impact of Post Office Closures on Local Communities | National Audit Office (UK) | 11/7/2008 | Link | |
| Impact of the Closure of Post Offices in Northwest Iowa | Northwest Iowa Development | 2/1/2012 | Link | |
| Is Diversification the Answer to Mail Woes? The Experience of International Posts | USPS/Accenture | 2/1/2010 | Link | |
| Leading Practices for Managing Fleet Operations | GAO | GAO-15-644T | 5/21/2015 | Link |
| Mail Processing and Transportation Operational Changes | USPS OIG | NO-AR-16-009 | 9/2/2016 | Link |
| Mail Processing Network Rationalization Service Changes, 2012 | PRC | N2012-1 | 9/28/2012 | Link |
| Mail Service During the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic | USPS OIG | 20-275-R21 | 01/04/2021 | Link |
| Making the Connection: Local Post Offices as Community Enterprise Hubs | RSA | 2/1/2014 | Link | |
| Management Alert ̐ Retail Customer Service Management Alert | USPS OIG | MS-MA-15-002 | 10/17/2014 | Link |
| Operational Changes to Mail Delivery | USPS OIG | 20-292-R21 | 10/19/2020 | Link |
| Operational Window Change Savings | USPS OIG | NO-AR-19-001 | 10/15/2018 | Link |
| Package Delivery in Rural and Dense Urban Areas | USPS OIG | RISC-WP-20-008 | 09/16/2020 | Link |
| Peeling the Onion: The Real Cost of Mail | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-16-009 | 4/18/2016 | Link |
| Postal Facilities - Platforms for Community Resilience | Carnegie Mellon Univ | 12/15/2018 | Link | |
| Postal Retiree Health Benefits: Unsustainable Finances Need to Be Addressed | GAO | GAO-18-602 | 8/31/2018 | Link |
| Postal Service Management of CBRE Real Estate Transactions | USPS OIG | SM-AR-15-003 | 4/22/2015 | Link |
| Post Office Relocation Process | USPS OIG | DR-AR-14-008 | 9/2/2014 | Link |
| Post Office Structure Plan | PRC | N2012-2 | 8/23/2012 | Link |
| Potential Financial Effect on the U.S. Postal Service of Increased Voting by Mail | GAO | GAO-12-72R | 10/20/2011 | Link |
| PRC Summary and Expanded Response to GAO Report GAO-15-756:U.S. Postal Service Actions Needed to Make Delivery Performance Information More Complete, Useful, and Transparent | PRC | 10/5/2015 | Link | |
| Preservation and Disposal of Historic Properties | USPS OIG | SM-AR-14-004 | 4/16/2014 | Link |
| Preserve America 2011 USPS report to ACHP, part 1 | USPS | 12/1/2011 | Link 1 | |
| Preserve America 2011 USPS report to ACHP, part 2 | USPS | 12/1/2011 | Link | |
| Preserving Historic Post Offices: A Report to Congress | ACHP | 3/20/2014 | Link | |
| Processing Readiness of Election and Political Mail During the 2020 General Elections | USPS OIG | 20-225-R20 | 08/31/2020 | Link |
| Reevaluating the Universal Service Obligation | USPS OIG | RISC-WP-20-004 | 5/6/2020 | Link |
| Retail Access Optimization Initiative, 2011 | PRC | N2011-1 | 12/23/2011 | Link |
| Retail Customer Experience Program | USPS OIG | MS-AR-13-010 | 7/9/2013 | Link |
| Review of Postal Service FY 2013 Performance Report and FY 2014 Performance Plan | PRC | 7/7/2014 | Link | |
| Risks Associated with CB Richard Ellis, Inc. Contract | USPS OIG | SM-MA-14-003 | 2/12/2014 | Link |
| Section 701 Report: Analysis of the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 | PRC | 11/14/2016 | ||
| Service Performance of Election and Political Mail During the 2018 Midterm and Special Elections | USPS OIG | 19XG010NO000-R20 | 11/4/2019 | Link |
| Service Performance of Election and Political Mail During the November 2020 General Election | USPS OIG | 20-318-R21 | | 3/5/2021 | Link |
| Six-Day to Five-Day Street Delivery and Related Service Changes, 2010 | PRC | N2010-1 | 3/24/2011 | Link |
| Station and Branch Optimization and Consolidation Initiative, 2009 | PRC | N2009-1 | 3/10/2010 | Link |
| The Household Diary Study Diary Study: Mail Use & Attitudes in FY 2015 | USPS | 8/1/2016 | Link | |
| The Last Post: The social and economic impact of changes to postal services in Manchester | NEF | Link | ||
| The Postal Service's Use of Social Media | USPS OIG | MS-MA-13-003 | 8/1/2013 | Link |
| The Postal Service and Its User Base | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-16-013 | 7/18/2016 | Link |
| The Postal Service Customers of the Future | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-14-014 | 9/29/2014 | Link |
| The Postal Service’s Role In Delivering Wellness Services And Supplies | USPS OIG | RARC-IB-15-004 | 7/22/2015 | Link |
| The Road Ahead for Postal Financial Services | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-15-011 | 5/21/2015 | Link |
| The U.S. Postal Service and Emergency Response: A History of Delivering for the American Public | USPS OIG | RISC-WP-20-006 | 09/10/2020 | Link |
| The U.S. Postal Service̥s Financial Condition: A Primer | CRS | R43162 | 9/22/2014 | Link |
| The U.S. Postal Service̥s Financial Condition: Overview and Issues for Congress | CRS | R41024 | 1/27/2012 | Link |
| Timeliness of Ballot Mail in the Milwaukee Processing & Distribution Center Service Area | USPS OIG | 20-235-R20 | 7/7/2020 | Link |
| Toward Postal Excellence: The Report of the President's Commission on Postal Organization | Presidential Commission | 11/24/1967 | Link | |
| U.S. Postal Service's Financial Viability | GAO | Various | Link | |
| U.S. Postal Service: Action Needed to Address Unfunded Benefit Liabilities | GAO | GAO-14-398T | 3/3/2014 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Action Needed to Maximize Cost-Saving Potential of Alternatives to Post Offices | GAO | GAO-12-100 | 11/1/2011 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Actions Needed to Make Delivery Performance. Information More Complete, Useful, and Transparent. Why GAO Did This Study. | GAO | GAO-15-408 | 9/30/2015 | Link |
| U.S. POSTAL SERVICE: Congressional Action Is Essential to Enable a Sustainable Business Model | GAO | GAO-20-385 | 5/7/2020 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Continuing Financial Challenges and the Need for Postal Reform | GAO | GAO-16-651T | 5/11/2016 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Financial Challenges Continue | GAO | GAO-16-268T | 1/21/2016 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Foreign Posts' Strategies Could Inform U.S. Postal Service's Efforts to Modernize | GAO | GAO-11-282 | 2/16/2011 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Information on How Broadband Affects Postal Use and the Communications Options for Rural Residents | GAO | GAO-16-811  | 9/1/2016 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service: Post Office Changes Suggest Cost Savings, but Improved Guidance, Data, and Analysis Can Inform Future Savings Efforts | GAO | GAO-16-385 | 4/29/2016 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service Processing Network Optimization | USPS OIG | NO-AR-19-006 | 9/9/2019 | Link |
| U.S. Postal Service Workforce Size and Employment Categories, FY1995-FY2014 | CRS | RS22864 | Link | |
| U.S. Postal Service’s Processing Network Optimization and Service Impacts | USPS OIG | 19XG013NO000-R20 | 6/16/2020 | Link |
| U.S Postal Service FY 2016 Annual Compliance Report | USPS | No. ACR2016 | 12/29/2016 | Link |
| United States Postal Service: A Sustainable Path Forward | Task Force | 12/4/2018 | Link | |
| Use of Independent Contractor Studies | USPS OIG | CP-AR-17-002 | 10/14/2016 | Link |
| Using Mail to Build Brands | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-18-013 | 9/5/2018 | Link |
| USPS Financial Reports | USPS | Various | Link | |
| USPS Leased Facilities Report | USPS | Link | ||
| USPS Nationwide Historic Context Study: Postal Facilities Constructed or Occupied Between 1940 and 1971 | USPS/URS | 9/1/2012 | Link | |
| USPS Owned Facilities Report | USPS | Link | ||
| USPS Service Performance Reports | USPS | Link | ||
| Vote by Mail and the Postal Service: A Primer | USPS OIG | RISC-WP-21-004 | 6/1/2021 | Link |
| What America Wants and Needs from the Postal Service | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-14-009 | 2/18/2014 | Link |
| What America Wants from the Postal Service | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-13-009 | 5/21/2013 | Link |
| What Postal Services Do People Value the Most? A Quantitative Survey of the Postal Universal Service Obligation | USPS OIG | RARC-WP-15-007 | 2/23/2015 | Link |
| Workshare Discounts for Automated Mail Processing | USPS OIG | CP-AR-15-002 | 6/8/2015 | Link |
