Transit Labels for Standalone and ILDS Libraries
- IHLS Delivery sorters and drivers rely on the accuracy of transit labels to get items to their intended recipients. Please adhere to the following transit label guidelines for all IHLS Delivery transit.
Placement of Labels
- Do not insert labels inside books. With the high volume of books going through IHLS Delivery, putting labels inside books creates a risk of lost labels during sorting.
- Use only official transit labels. These can be found below.
- To and From fields with full library names are required. The To [Library Full Name] is the most important to the IHLS delivery staff and should contain the full name of the library to which the item is being sent. Full names are important, as many libraries have similar names (i.e., Mississippi Valley Library District – Collinsville, Mississippi Valley Library District – Fairmont, etc.).
- Hub code fields are required. The hub code is critical to getting the item to the right geographic region as quickly as possible. To find a hub code, use the SHARE Library Codes list or the L2 Member Directory.
- To avoid damage to books, use removable tape to fasten labels on items. If your library does not have removable tape, it is acceptable to tape your label to a rubber band around the item
- Do not reuse transit labels. Do not cross out or double-highlight/circle items on transit labels—use a new transit label.
Specific Types of Transit Labels
- All items must have a completed transit label attached to the front of the item(s) or Delivery on the Go service bag, including packaging/envelopes. Please use only the correct and approved transit label. In case of missing or incomplete labels, the item will be returned to the owning library.
- Transit to Another IHLS-Member Library
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- Materials going to another IHLS-member library require an official IHLS transit label or a printed transit label printed by a transit label printer.
- To find library hub codes, use the L2 Member Directory or the SHARE Library Codes list.
- Same-Day Transit to a Down-Route IHLS Library (IHLS Delivery On the Go)
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- IHLS members that are specifically sending items to a library further along the same IHLS Delivery route can use an orange Delivery On the Go bag. Spaces for transit information are printed directly on the bag.
- Please use a fine-tip or large dark-color permanent marker to write the transit information on the bag.
- If you need orange Delivery On the Go bags, please contact your IHLS service hub's delivery manager/coordinator.
- Transit to a RAILS or CPL library or to the CMC
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- Materials going to the Cataloging Maintenance Center (CMC), Reaching Across Illinois Library System libraries (RAILS libraries), or Chicago Public Library (CPL), require this paper routing label.
- Always circle or highlight one destination code.
- When sending materials to the Cataloging Maintenance Center, write “CMC” in the To field.
- To find RAILS hub codes, use the L2 Member Directory.
Download a Paper Routing Label
- Special Note for ILDS Members
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The Illinois Library Delivery Service (ILDS) is a courier service that transports library materials between participating Illinois academic and research libraries to support interlibrary resource sharing in the state of Illinois. IHLS members who are members of CARLI and participate in ILDS primarily use ILDS delivery services instead of IHLS delivery services. These members should use the following labels:
Transit from an ILDS member to another ILDS member
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ILDS libraries must be using the online label system to create labels when sending items to other ILDS locations.
Transit from ILDS Members to non-ILDS members
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Both a computer-generated AND and a downloaded paper label must be used when sending items from an ILDS member to a non-ILDS member.
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To find library hub codes, use the L2 Member Directory or the SHARE Library Codes list.
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For additional clarification, please refer to the ILDS workflow chart.
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- Transit to Out-of-State Libraries
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Illinois Heartland Library System does not deliver to out-of-state libraries.