When does 1 + 1 = 3, 4 or even 5? When two or more libraries partner and make one delivery drop point in a community! Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) is on a quest to give more service to libraries as efficiently as possible. One way we can do this is by creating Community Delivery Partnerships. For example, if we can partner a school library with the public library in town, we will give those library partners functional access to 5 days of service. Functional access means that on days when we have no materials to deliver to your library and you have no materials to return to us, we will not stop at your library. When you do have library materials to share, we will stop and pick those items up. CDPs make delivery much more efficient!
 

I realize that some of you are thinking, “Geesh, you go right by my library. Why would I partner with another library to get my items?” Every stop equals a cost to IHLS.  Those stops add up--in time, in mileage and in manpower.  Our service area is over 28,000 square miles.  If we are able to make less stops, more often, it benefits everyone. Our goal is IHLS members partnering together to create a more efficient way of handling all the great resource sharing that is being done. The reality is that we are all operating with less funding.  For IHLS, this opens the door for innovative ways to give the same great service, with less cost.  Community Delivery Partnerships (CDPs) are one way to accomplish that.

I urge you to check out the Community Delivery Partnerships (CDP) on the Illinois State Library’s website at https://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/library/delivery/delivery-faqs.html for more detailed information. And as always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions/suggestions/ideas!

Thank you,

Susan J. Palmer
Operations Director, IHLS
spalmer@illinoisheartland.org
618-381-6382 x 409