KYVL: Courier Service: Information for Participating Libraries

Courier blog posts

About KYVL courier service

KYVL courier service facilitates cost-effective sharing of library and instructional materials throughout the Commonwealth in support of KYVL's mission of providing high-quality resources to all Kentuckians. Interlibrary loans and programming materials from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives serve to complement to KYVL's electronic databases.

In its first 20 years of operation, KYVL courier service delivered more than 3 million items.

KYVL courier service is provided by STAT Courier of St. Louis, MO. Funding is provided through the Council on Postsecondary Education, with support from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives and participating KYVL member institutions.

Eligible institutions

Kentucky institutions participating in KYVL courier service include:

Public libraries
Public universities and community and technical colleges
Private college, university and seminary libraries
The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives

Cost and participation

Participation in KYVL courier service is open to member public and academic libraries and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.

Cost of participation

To maximize access to resource sharing within the Commonwealth, KYVL subsidizes the cost of participation in KYVL courier service for member public and academic libraries:

One weekly courier stop is free for each participating academic institution or public library system.
For F21-22, member libraries' cost for additional stops at main or branch locations is $750 annually per weekly stop.
For F20-21, due to suspended service, library cost was prorated to $450 per weekly stop.
The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives pays the full cost of $1,750 for each of its courier stops in support of KYVL courier service.

Adding or canceling stops

Courier stops are scheduled and invoiced annually for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Most changes go into effect at this time.

For libraries wishing to add or eliminate stops during the year, the following terms apply:

Libraries are invoiced on a prorated basis for stops added after annual invoicing.
Refunds are not issued stops canceled during the fiscal year.
Requests for two weekly stops per location will be honored by STAT Courier.
Requests for three or more weekly stops will be scheduled at the discretion of STAT Courier.
Changes to the scheduled number of weekly stops will generally be implemented within two weeks of the initial request.

To request service changes, please contact KYVL at kyvl@ky.gov or 844.400.KYVL.

Report temporary closings affecting courier stops using the form below.

Report Library Closed Date(s)

Primary contact

Each participating library is asked to designate a primary courier contact. Designated contacts should be enrolled in the KYVL member portal and subscribed to the KYVL Courier e-list. See Sign up and Subscribe to e-lists instructions at kyvl.org/portalhelp.

Courier contacts are added to individual route lists maintained by STAT Courier for notifications regarding changes or delays affecting a particular route.

To designate a primary courier contact for your library, please send contact name, job title and email address to kyvl@ky.gov.

Suspend / resume ILL lending

Libraries with an OCLC ILL subscription may temporarily suspend lending in WorldShare ILL to expedite the forwarding of lending requests to libraries that are continuing to lend. Thanks to Bill Shrout, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA), who originally prepared this information.

Interlibrary loans may be initiated in FirstSearch, available through KYVL, but lending and borrowing are processed administratively through WorldShare ILL. Any library with an OCLC ILL subscription has access to WorldShare ILL.

KDLA administers a Resource Sharing group agreement with OCLC (the Online Computer Library Center) which provides Kentucky public libraries with access to the OCLC WorldShare ILL system for providing interlibrary loan services to their library customers. Kentucky public libraries wishing to become part of this agreement may contact Bill Shrout at william.shrout@ky.gov.

Suspending ILL

Select one of the options below in WorldShare ILL to temporarily suspend lending.

Click "No" in Lending Requests

Even though most libraries have requests set to timeout in 4 days for so, in the “Lending Requests” area, for a request, you can click “No,” with any reason or no reason, and the loan request will immediately go to the next library in the lending string.

Access OCLC information about responding "no" to requests at this link.

Configure an extended closure

From WorldShare ILL Interlibrary Loan Home:

Click on “OCLC Policies Directory” in the “Other” column.
Sign in to the OCLC Polices Directory using your 9-digit “Authorization” number and password.
In the “Schedule” tab, click “+ Add” in the “Closure” area.
Supply a name—Maybe “Temporary closure”
Select a “Type”—Maybe “Operation Related”
Select the “Start Date”
Select “No” next to “OCLC Supplier”

Once library operations resume, be sure to “Delete” this closure.

Temporarily list your library as not an OCLC supplier

From WorldShare ILL Interlibrary Loan Home:

Click on “OCLC Policies Directory” in the “Other” column.
Sign in to the OCLC Polices Directory using your 9-digit “Authorization” number and password.
The OCLC Policies Directory should open on your library’s “Profile” page.
In the “OCLC Supplier” area, click “Edit.”
In the “Edit” dialog, select the “No” button next to “OCLC Supplier.”
When you library is ready to resume ILL lending, follow these instructions and select the “Yes” button next to “OCLC Supplier” in the “Edit” dialog.

Resume lending

If you have listed your library temporarily as NOT an OCLC supplier

Click on “OCLC Policies Directory” in the “Other” column.
Sign in to the OCLC Polices Directory using your 9-digit “Authorization” number and password.
- The OCLC Policies Directory should open on your library’s “Profile” page.
In the “OCLC Supplier” area, click “Edit.”
In the “Edit” dialog, select the “Yes” button next to “OCLC Supplier.”

If you have configured an extended closure

Click on “OCLC Policies Directory” in the “Other” column.
Sign in to the OCLC Polices Directory using your 9-digit “Authorization” number and password.
In the “Schedule” tab, click “Delete” next to the extended closure you configured in the “Closure” area.