News

It is almost time for the next quarterly count week. Great news! ALL libraries will only have to count items that have a hand-written label on them which includes gift/donation items. You can find a link to the count form on the IHLS website on the delivery page. Thank you again for your cooperation and assistance. Quarterly Delivery Count Form (PDF)

Route 2 from Edwardsville has been canceled today. We are sorry about this. The driver is ill and unable to run it.

To see if your library is affected please visit:

https://www.illinoisheartland.org/?q=delivery/routes/edwardsville 

The end of the school year is fast approaching.  The System’s courier delivery service to schools for this school year will end on Friday, May 19, 2017.  The first day of delivery for the 2017-18 school year will be the week of August 21, 2017.  If your school needs to adjust either of these dates, please contact your hub manager to work out a schedule that will work more efficiently for you.  I know some of the managers have already spoken to a few of you and your end date for this year, has been changed. If your school will be conducting summer sessions and you would like delivery, please contact your hub manager so a schedule can be set up. 

If your students return items after the final pick up date, remember, you can return them to any local Public Library. 

Feel free to contact your hub manager with any questions concerning your school’s delivery service. 

Carbondale (ZCA): Arlanna Fries
Champaign (ZCH): Linda Kates
Edwardsville (ZED): Linda Petty

There has been some confusion as to whether or not we still do Delivery On the Go (DOG).  DOG is where a library, on the same route, has requested an item for delivery. That item may be able to be delivered later that day when the driver arrives at that library.  DOGs are only available if that library is on the same route as your library and delivery is scheduled to arrive at the receiving library later that day.

We will do our best to deliver those items that same day. There may be times when that is not possible but we are striving for that service to be offered.  The Statewide Delivery Committee recommendations say “As a statewide best practice that enables same day delivery, libraries have the option, in order to accommodate an immediate or a special circumstance’s interlibrary loan need, to sort and separate items for libraries following theirs WHEN those libraries are on the same delivery route and WHEN those libraries receive delivery that same day.”

I feel that this is an important and needed service that we need to help facilitate. We have now standardized our procedures in delivery. What this means is that we are no longer having the drivers sort on the route. It makes more sense for them to bring the library’s items back to their hub to sort them in a climate controlled building versus sorting out in the weather.

That being said, the way that DOGs need to be done, is that the items that are going “downstream” on the route, need to be labeled for that library and put on top of the delivery tub that is being picked up. If you have several items going to that same library, please package them separately in another bag. If you do not have another container/bag to place the items in, please call your hub manager and they will try to find some bags that may be used for this purpose.

Again, each item still needs to have a label on it. You may group together multiple items for the same library into a bag/container.

Please go to IHLS’ website to view your route. Go to Delivery, then Routes, or click here. You will see all the libraries on your route are listed. We will do our best effort to deliver the item that day.

Please do not hesitate to contact me, Susan Palmer, or your delivery manager with any questions or concerns.

Susan Palmer
Operations Director
Illinois Heartland Library System
618-656-3216 extension 409
spalmer@illinoisheartland.org