Packaging and shipping

• 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.

Updated routes -- September 23, 2025

Please notify KYVL with any changes or corrections.

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.

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.

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.

• Green courier bags are provided by KYVL and distributed by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
  • Courier Bag Request Form
  • Please return surplus bags to KDLA via the courier.
• 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.

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.

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.

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Bed Bug Protocol | Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives
• Prevention and Treatment of Bed Bugs in Public Libraries | Sarah Kittrell, Wichita Public Library
  From the author: One update I have is that we now use 99% isopropyl alcohol rather than just the regular rubbing alcohol. This was suggested by our pest control company after I’d already done my webinar. 
• Do-it-yourself Bed Bug Control | EPA
• Bed bug stages (image)

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.