Archive for the ‘Courier’ Category

Library closings & courier procedures

Wednesday, May 30th, 2012

While students statewide are cheering the school year’s end, many of us are about to work harder. I know a lot of changes go down at all types of libraries during the Summer months, some of which will likely affect your ability to send/receive items via the KYVL courier service.

If you have a schedule change or other situation (new carpet, renovation) that requires a change in your courier service, you MUST notify the KYVL office – at least 2 weeks in advance, when possible.

All courier schedule changes need to come through this office, whether they are permanent or temporary. You may also tell your courier driver about the situation if you wish, but the primary communication must be with KYVL.

Your courier driver is not authorized to suspend or change your service in any way. This means that KYVL will be billed for your regularly scheduled stops, regardless of whether or not you received service.

Please let us know about any closures or other scenarios that will affect your courier service. We will be glad to help adjust your schedule as needed.

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Membership to KYVL – Why bother?

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

You must be a KYVL member to access the KYVL research databases.  For these subscriptions, the Council on Postsecondary Education [KYVL’s parent agency] and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA) subsidize your library’s access with over $1 million in contributions. Participating libraries also receive discounts on other products from the KYVL vendors on master agreement such as EBSCO, Proquest, etc. because of the contracts or due to our purchase of basic packages.  Participation in KYVL provides you a core collection of resources at a very low cost compared to the vendor retail costs.  Due the state subsidy from KYVL and KDLA, and the KYVL-negotiated statewide contracts, the return on investment is equal to over $10 per every $1 of a library’s membership fee.   KYVL resources are licensed for KYVL members only.

Individual districts and libraries would spend far more subscribing to these resources independently — over $20 million retail annually. The ability to negotiate state-wide access results in substantial savings for our state and ensures equal access to information for all Kentuckians.  Each district, each public library or college that chooses to opt out of KYVL will impact the cost for everyone.  Full participation from the school districts, public libraries and universities lowers the costs to each member — the more participation, the greater the distribution of costs.  Public libraries in many counties are already struggling and may not have adequate hours, technology, or staffing to handle higher costs for online resources and delivery of interlibrary loan materials.  Without an active subscription to KYVL,  a library will not be licensed to supply KYVL credentials to its users.

KYVL provides a courier service to move interlibrary loan and course materials between 405  stops each week at the public libraries, community & technical colleges, and public universities. KYVL provides this service at no cost. If you are not a KYVL member, courier service cannot be purchased.  You must be a KYVL member to participate in the ground courier service.  Your library may not be a lender but consider the mailing costs of returning the items borrowed for your patrons.

Information on can be found on the KYVL Advocacy page.  http://www.kyvl.org/advocate.shtm

About the funding model – http://www.kyvl.org/docs/FundingPPT.pdf

Who is participating?  Check the Advocacy page – we track our members.

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For KYVL Ground Courier Service Participants

Monday, June 28th, 2010

As many of you may be aware, our Courier Service is about to undergo some changes. The bottom line: Lanter Delivery is not renewing the contract with the Commonwealth and the service provided to KYVL will cease mid-August.

What has happened?  The Federal Reserve Banks has changed the business model, for many reasons.  “These changes have enabled the Reserve Banks to reduce their national check-processing infrastructure so that, by early 2010, they expect to be processing paper checks at one location nationwide, down from 45 in 2003.”   [http://www.federalreserve.gov/paymentsystems/check_about.htm, retrieved June 22, 2010]  The federal system was a major part of the Lanter Delivery infrastructure and without it, LDS cannot continue service to KYVL without having to increase fees by more than double.   Rather than continue with an unsustainable model, LDS is pulling out of this market.

KYVL has started working with Finance to release a request for bids – our buyer has all the documentation, volume and route information to create the bid.  Finance is fully aware of our deadline and the impact on hundreds of organizations in Kentucky should the service have any type of lull.

Lanter has committed through mid-August.  We’ve had a couple of reports that we have some drivers who are telling their libraries incorrect information.  If you hear of such discussions, please notify us or feel free to clarify for your staff.   You may recall in 2007 it was the KYVL Resource Sharing Workgroup who assisted us in creating the RFP and conduct the bid evaluations.  As far as we know, we will employ a similar approach this time – the KYVL Resource Sharing Workgroup will assist with statistics, needs analysis, service allocation across the state, etc.

Feel free to contact Enid Wohlstein (enid.wohlstein@ky.gov) with questions.  We may be in blackout soon so please be assured that covering this service is of the highest priority for us and we will share information with you and the membership as we are able.

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