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Packaging and shipping

Routes and Schedules

Library closures

Please report all library closures affecting courier stops. It is not necessary to report closures that coincide with official state holidays.

Tracking a package

A day in the life of a courier package
  • STAT Courier drivers begin each day with a trip to the nearest sorting hub - Lexington for N, E and S routes and Leitchfield for W routes - to collect items for delivery on that day's routes.
  • At each library stop, drivers scan packages for pickup and delivery.
  • At the end of each daily route, the day's items are delivered to the appropriate hub.
  • Items are transported overnight between hubs as needed.
  • Items at each hub are sorted for delivery.
  • Items are not scanned at either hubs on arrival or departure.
  • Drivers retrieve sorted items at the start of each day for delivery for that day's routes.

Although it is not possible to locate items in between pickup and delivery scans, it is possible to check bag barcodes for delivery status. To check a barcode for delivery status, follow the steps below.

Courier Schedule

Recent Updates

Updated routes -- September 23, 2025

Please notify KYVL with any changes or corrections.

Courier stop best practices

Have a designated pick-up location

Libraries are asked to designate a delivery / pickup location for courier items. The driver will pick up the bags that are left in the designated area and drop off what he or she has to deliver.

If your library does not have a designated area, here are some of the benefits:

  • Drivers will not have to come to staff to ask if they have anything. This does not take staff away from what they are currently doing and is more efficient for drivers.
  • ILL staff does not need to be present.
  • Less interaction during social distancing.
  • Signatures are not required.
No outgoing items? Do not call driver!

If you have no outgoing materials, please DO NOT CALL your driver to cancel your stop. While it can seem like a good idea to save time, money, etc., drivers are required to make every stop. Skipping stops cuts corners on KYVL's contract with STAT Courier and can lead to unpredictable arrival times for other libraries along the route.

If you would like to let a driver know that you have no outgoing items, please post a notice like the ones below where a driver can see it from outside the library.

Packaging and shipping

Shipping and supplies

Packaging requirements

Items transported via KYVL courier service must be properly packaged and labeled. Most items are shipped in zippered flat 14" x 18" Rifkin nylon bags. These reusable bags are provided by KYVL and distributed by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives for courier service use. Multiple items may be shipped to a single site in a single bag as long as the bag can be zipped without strain on the seams of the bag.

Cartons, boxes, bins, tubs, rolling luggage, and other types of containers are also used to transport items.

Individual shipping containers are limited to 70 pounds and 130 inches in overall girth.

Please collect your shipments in a gray plastic tote. In most cases, the driver will exchange a tote containing your deliveries with a tote containing your outbound items.

Supplies
  • Green courier bags are provided by KYVL and distributed by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
  • Vinyl barcodes used on KYVL courier bags are supplied by KYVL. Contact kyvl@ky.gov if you need a supply to replace damaged or unreadable barcodes on bags currently in circulation.
  • Gray plastic stackable totes, labeled for KYVL Courier Service, are provided to facilitate preparation and transport of each shipment. Courier drivers exchange totes at each location as they make their pickups and deliveries.
  • Libraries are responsible for maintaining a supply of Secur-a-ties and #8 shipping tags required for shipment.
What can be shipped?

KYVL courier service is used for exchanging library and instructional materials among participating libraries. Items that may be shipped:

  • Books, audiobooks, articles, and other items for interlibrary loan.
  • KDLA book discussion kits and thematic programming kits.
  • KDLA Circulating Audiobook Collections.
  • KDLA Circulating Large Print Collections may ship subject to available capacity and the following conditions:
    • All the usual packaging and labeling requirements apply.
    • In order to avoid interfering with transport of more time-sensitive items, these collections ship with lower priority than other transported items, and may, at the driver's discretion, be left until a subsequent service day or divided into smaller shipments.

Courier service may not be used to ship equipment, furniture, or other items that are not library or instructional materials. If you have a question about the eligibility of an item or items for shipment, please contact KYVL.

Where is my package?

At the end of their daily route, drivers deliver items in transit to STAT Courier's nearest hubs for sorting and overnight line haul, if needed. Drivers retrieve sorted items at the start of the next business day.

Tracking by barcode

Items are scanned by the driver when they are picked up and again when they are delivered. They are not scanned at sorting facilities, however, and while is not possible to locate items in between these scans, it is possible to check bag barcodes for delivery status.

To track a package by barcode, follow the steps below.

User ID#: kyvlusers
Password: Cour135!

  • Click the Tracking tab (next to Main).
  • Leave all the fields as is except:
    • Remove (delete info from) (Order Submitted Date) From and (Order Submitted Date) To.
    • Enter search dates in (Pickup Date) From and (Pickup Date) To fields.
  • At the lower left, click Show Advanced Options (orange text)
  • In Wild Card Field, select Pkg Ref#1 [Barcode].
  • In Wild Card Value, enter the barcode of the bag or item you would like to track.
  • Click Show Results. The results list will show each time the barcode has been scanned during the date range entered.
    • Both pickup and delivery scans appear under Pickup Date and Pickup Company.

Optional

  • Columns can be selected near top of page under Choose Display, and can be rearranged. Key columns are:
    • Pickup Date
    • Pickup Company (library OCLC symbol and name)
    • RefNo (Sort code)
    • Packages
  • Click the three vertical dots to sort.
  • For easier examination, export to Excel.

New online pickup form

  • The new online pickup form is live! Please note that developers are continuing to make minor changes.
  • Have fun testing out the form, but please DELETE TEST ORDERS, as courier statistics are generated from these forms.
  • Below are a few tips for success. If you have questions, please contact KYVL.
  • kyvl@ky.gov 844.400.KYVL
Courier Order
Build Order
  • From Library:
    • Your library information appears here.
  • Pickup date
    • Current date will be selected when you open the form.
    • Click in the date box to open date picker.
    • There is one pickup date per form. If you need to add items with a different date, you will need to build a new form. 
  • Select Library
    • Click into the search box and type OCLC code or library name.
    • Select library from the options shown.
    • Date, if it appears between OCLC code and library name, reflects week service will resume for that library. Please plan your shipments accordingly.
    • After adding an item, be sure to clear the search box to select a new library or, after adding an item, click into the dropdown box to view the matching selections.
  • Barcode
    • Required!
    • This is the barcode on the green courier bag, KDLA suitcase or other container.
    • Barcode must be unique within a given form.
  • # Lending
    • Required!
    • These are items your library is lending another library.
    • Enter item count or "0".
  • # Returning
    • Required!
    • These are items your library has borrowed from another library and is returning.
    • Enter item count or "0".
  • OCLC ILL number
    • Optional.
  • Add Item
    • Data you have just entered will be dropped into the "Items for Shipment" list, below.
    • If item does not add and / or other items disappear, look for an error message or refresh the page.
Items for Shipment
  • Items generated in the upper box appear here.
  • Upon login, items on next upcoming order will appear here.
  • If you click "Add Item" and other items disappear, go back and look for error messages. When they are corrected and Add Item is clicked again, they should reappear. You may also refresh the page to view items already added.
  • Individual items may be deleted, but not edited.
Printing
  • Shipping labels and pickup form are printed from the bottom of the Courier Order tab.
  • When you click either print button, a PDF will be downloaded to your computer.
  • Formatting of both labels and forms is under development.
Completed Forms

This page contains a historic list of courier forms created by your institution.

  • Search by OCLC symbol, library name, sort code or complete date using MM/DD/YYYY format.
  • Select column will contain a magnifying glass or edit icon.
  • Clicking either icon will take you back to the Courier Order page.
  • If necessary, it is possible to edit items within the last 30 days.

 

Issues and concerns

Tracking a package

A day in the life of a courier package
  • STAT Courier drivers begin each day with a trip to the nearest sorting hub - Lexington for N, E and S routes and Leitchfield for W routes - to collect items for delivery on that day's routes.
  • At each library stop, drivers scan packages for pickup and delivery.
  • At the end of each daily route, the day's items are delivered to the appropriate hub.
  • Items are transported overnight between hubs as needed.
  • Items at each hub are sorted for delivery.
  • Items are not scanned at either hubs on arrival or departure.
  • Drivers retrieve sorted items at the start of each day for delivery for that day's routes.

Although it is not possible to locate items in between pickup and delivery scans, it is possible to check bag barcodes for delivery status. To check a barcode for delivery status, follow the steps below.

Bed bug information

The first known instance of bed bugs in connection with KYVL courier service was reported in November 2018. If your library discovers bed bugs or bed bug residue in courier materials, please contact KYVL at kyvl@ky.gov or by calling 844.400.KYVL. Do not destroy KYVL courier bags unless asked to do so by KYVL staff.

KYVL recommends that libraries familiarize themselves with the KDLA Bed Bug Protocol and related resources linked below.

Additional details of the initial report On Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018, a report of bed bugs found in courier bags was shared with the KPLA directors listserv. The situation was reported to KYVL Monday, Nov. 19, and KYVL alerted STAT Courier.
  • The presence of bed bugs came to light during a routine quarterly bedbug inspection when a trained bed bug-sniffing dog alerted on the area of the courier bags.
  • The bags were sprayed by the pest control service with a spray that can be handled after two hours.
  • The bags were later heat-treated in the library's cooker.
  • No live or dead bugs have been seen, suggesting that residue was found and not indications of an active infestation.
  • The contents of the bag in question also passed visual inspection.
KDLA Bed Bug Protocol and related resources

Claims and other issues

Reporting Claims

Report claims for lost or damaged items by completing the Courier Claim Form. Use of this form requires a KYVL member portal account.

  • Damaged items must be claimed within 48 hours of delivery.
  • Lost items must be claimed within 14 business days after scheduled delivery date. (Under review - please feel free to report claims outside this timeframe.)

Completion of claim form requires:

  • Originating library information
  • Destination library information
  • Pick-up date
  • Package barcode
  • Item description, including title, author, ISBN
  • Claim type (lost or damaged)
    • For damage claims, in addition to completing the form, please email photos of damaged item and condition of shipping container upon delivery to kyvl@ky.gov.
Review of claims

STAT Courier will review each claim received. Once STAT Courier has determined whether a claim is approved for payment or denied, STAT Courier will notify the library system via email. KYVL should be copied on all correspondence between STAT courier and individual libraries.

If a claim is approved for payment, the actual replacement cost per item will be provided along with the URL substantiating the cost.

Please note:

  • For lost item claims, STAT Courier will be responsible only for items with barcodes showing scanned and accepted by a STAT Courier driver at the time of pickup for which no delivery scan has been captured. STAT Courier is not responsible for individual items declared as lost which were shipped within a zippered canvas bag or other shipping container that has been delivered and a delivery scan has been captured.
  • STAT Courier is not responsible for materials transported outside its delivery network.
Late or missed stops

Report late stops to kyvl@ky.gov. For missed stops, please complete the Report a missed stop form.

Driver / service issues

Courier drivers should display visible identification, such as a uniform, tag, or badge that clearly identifies the individual as a representative of STAT Courier. STAT Courier performs basic background checks on all of its driers. If you experience driver-related issues, please report these to KYVL.

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 Beth Milburn at beth.milburn@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.

See also:

Usage Statistics

Items and containers transported

F25-26
F23-24
F24-25
F22-23
F21-22
F20-21
F19-20
F18-19
F2000-01 through F2014-15

Courier usage statistics

About KYVL Courier Service

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.
  • Beginning in F23-24, member libraries' cost for additional stops at main or branch locations will not be subsidized.
  • For F23-24, libraries will be charged $1,800 annually per weekly stop after the first free stop. This is the approximate annual cost to KYVL for a weekly stop in F22-23.
  • The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives pays full cost for its 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.

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.