Catherwood LibraryILR School

As the United States Postal Service seeks to reduce costs, they are planning to close more than 2,000 small post offices across the country. The Postal Service had already announced the closings of 491 post offices at the end of the year. The Postal Service also said that it is reviewing another 16,000 unprofitable post offices. The Postal Service is not allowed to close post offices for purely financial reasons, and some communities who have faced closures are lobbying to restore their post offices, claiming that the Postal Service broke that law. Advocates against the closings also worry about the effect closings will have on small, rural communities, where most of the closings will happen. They cite elderly residents and the burden closings put on them. The Postal Service lost $8.5 billion in 2010. The closings will begin in March.