Policy concerning lost materials

If items shipped on Kansas Library Express fail to arrive, the following steps should be taken:

• Contact the library shipping the material to confirm items have been sent
• Check your library collection to confirm items have not been shelved in error
• Report delay to courier coordinator

Items reported delayed are announced to all courier libraries. A list of currently missing items is maintained at the Kansas Library Express website.

Without a tracking system, individual items cannot be located while in transit.  If loss is substantial to any one library or on a particular route, courier managers will be asked to investigate.  The loss of a single item may occasionally occur.  Libraries as a matter of practice may budget this as a cost of doing business.

When items remain missing for 2 months, a Materials Replacement Fund application may be submitted.  The borrowing library completes the form on behalf of the lending library.  See the application guidelines and download a form at: http://sekls.org/cms/MaterialReplacement/tabid/1827/Default.aspx

Policy concerning damaged materials

If items shipped on Kansas Library Express arrive damaged, the following steps should be taken:

• Notify courier coordinator immediately.
• Notify the lending library if the item was borrowed and describe the damage.  The item may not need replacement, but it is best to inform the lender.  If damage is visible, a photo to document the damage may be taken and emailed to courier coordinator.
• Complete the report form describing the damage if sufficient to warrant replacement.  Use the form at: http://kslibexpress.mykansaslibrary.org/contact-us/report-of-lost-or-damaged-materials/
• Send a copy of the damage report along with the damaged item to Henry Industries using a Kansas Library Express shipping label to the attention of courier management.
• Henry Industries will be invoiced for the replacement cost of the item and payment to the lending library will be made.

Blue Sky Express connects courier networks in Kansas and Colorado 5 days per week. The service is being provided at no additional cost to all Kansas Library Express participants.  This information will remain linked to the Blue Sky Express button on the right side bar of this page.

Blue Sky Express information links:

Colorado Libraries Lists

Kansas Libraries Lists

Shipping Procedure

Materials are exchanged daily at Goodland (Kansas) Public Library. The daily shipment is transported to and from Goodland in crates designated for use by Blue Sky Express.  These materials are sorted and delivered by the Kansas Library Express drivers on their current schedule.  Look for the Blue Sky Express shipping labels to ship items to Colorado libraries on the Henry Industries website:  www.henryind.com[.]

Questions about the service?  Contact Carolyn Little by email (clittle (at) nekls (dot) org) or by phone 785-838-4090.

KICNET libraries on Kansas Library Express (both direct and indirect service libraries) should add their KLE code (KS###) after the Ship To Name in their Participant Record. It should NOT go in the Library Name field at the top of the Participant Record because that information is used in a whole slew of places where courier information isn’t helpful.

Thus, the Ship To area might look like:

ITTY BITTY PUBLIC LIBRARY – KS000
123 MAIN ST
PO BOX 789
ITTY BITTY KS   67890

or for an academic example:

JOHN DOE MEMORIAL LIBRARY – KS001
GREATEST SMALL COLLEGE
1000 UNIVERSITY DR
GREATEST KS   66666

The reason I wouldn’t recommend that the courier code appear on the top line
by itself is that while AGent isn’t pulling that name into a field on a
separate display (like the Status Browse areas), it might in the future and
I think it’s better to use those fields for their intended purpose.

As you’re formatting your Ship To area, remember it has to primarily serve
those libraries who are sending to you via US Mail, because libraries
sending to you on the courier will use Henry labels. And the Post Office
prefers:

*ALL CAPS
*PO Box number by itself on line immediately above City / State / ZIP

Remember that your Ship To Name in KICNET should match as closely as
possible your library name on the Henry labels to make finding the right
label easy.

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

When a holiday falls in the middle of a week, they will still deliver the day before and the day after the holiday.

Using Jing, we have created a short informational video about finding and printing a page of labels from the PDF document available at the Henry Industries Web site.  To watch this video, you will need the free Adobe Shockwave program on your computer, if you do not already have it installed.

Using the Henry Industries Site and Labels Document – the Video

Problems have been fairly minor for a rapid launch of such an extensive service. This comment from Salina Public Library embodies the response to any early problems: “It seems to be going well from my viewpoint and whatever kinks are still in the system will be ironed out.  Just wanted you to know we in Salina appreciate your efforts.”

From a Protection Library July 17 email, “I’m going to report now. I have NO problems.”

And, from the Wetmore Public Library, “love the courier…we are mostly sending items out to other libraries, but our patrons are getting used to ordering their materials ahead of time and don’t really care which library they borrow from…..”

Kansas Library Express is funded by fees paid by the participating libraries, contributions from the seven regional library systems of cooperating libraries, and assistance from a federal grant through the State Library of Kansas.

The service will be provided under contract by Henry Industries Courier Networks, a professional courier delivery company with an extensive statewide courier network.

As the administrator of the courier service, the Northeast Kansas Library System (NEKLS) is responsible for contracting with Henry Industries for the courier service, for administering all of the billing, information and trouble shooting activities to make the courier service meet your needs. Please contact us whenever you have any questions or problems:

Carolyn Little, Courier Services Coordinator:  clittle@nekls.org

Jim Minges, NEKLS Director: jminges@nekls.org

Phone: 785-838-4090

This is some “starter” information:

• We will be sending out library participant lists with OCLC codes and instructions for printing courier labels on Wednesday, July 1st.
• Shipping tubs for those libraries that have purchased those will be shipped during the first week of service.
• Courier zipper bags are on order and will be delivered as soon as possible.
• Please keep track of the following information about the numbers of packages that you ship in the following four categories for reporting monthly use statistics:

1. Small envelopes or courier bags (11″x14″ or smaller)
2. Large envelopes or bags
3. Tubs or boxes
4. Any individual items, such as equipment, summer reading materials or other printed matter, etc.

Welcome, and let us know how we are doing.

Jim Minges