Thank you to all our member libraries that completed the Annual Delivery Survey. We sincerely appreciate the time you took to share your feedback. Every response is valuable, and we carefully reviewed both the survey results and the individual comments to identify opportunities to improve our delivery services. A full summary of the survey feedback is available in our board documents. We also reviewed several individual comments that we wanted to address directly. Our responses are provided below.

Your feedback plays an important role in helping us enhance our delivery program, and we encourage you to continue sharing your experiences and suggestions. To ensure you receive next year's Annual Delivery Survey in spring 2027, please verify that your library has a designated System Delivery Contact in LibraryLearning (L2) by following these instructions.

Member Library Member Comments and IHLS Responses

Member Comment: “I do not receive texts about delivery cancellations, nor do I know how to sign up for them.”

IHLS Response: Libraries can sign up for delivery alerts and cancellation notifications using the instructions on our website.

Member Comment: “One frustration for our staff was the recent change of flipping the cards on the outside of the tub…”

IHLS Response: The reasons for this procedural update were outlined in both the online announcement and the printed memo distributed to member libraries. The updated process was implemented to improve consistency and reduce confusion around delivery for both member libraries and our delivery drivers. 

Member Comment: “Bring back BookPage coordination and distribution. RAILS offers this service to their members.” 

IHLS Response: We checked with RAILS and confirmed that they do not offer this service. It is possible this practice ended during the 2011 system mergers. In addition, BookPage distribution is not considered an interlibrary loan delivery item under current Illinois Statutes for library system delivery, so we would not be able to distribute these subscriptions via system delivery. 

Member Comment: “Always have a sub driver and a vehicle available to ensure deliveries happen on days when the roads are clear.”

IHLS Response: We make every effort to maintain coverage for a substitute driver and vehicle whenever possible. However, staffing shortages and operational limitations sometimes make this difficult. Route cancellations are never made lightly, and safety and staffing considerations are carefully evaluated before cancellations occur. You can find more information on our website.

Member Comment: “Reinstate Saturday delivery.”

IHLS Response: IHLS has not previously provided Saturday delivery service, and unfortunately, Saturday delivery is not included within the statutory delivery responsibilities assigned to Illinois library systems.

Member Comment: “I have no idea who to contact now. I would figure it out eventually, but the website is not especially intuitive.”

IHLS Response: All delivery-related questions and concerns can be directed to the IHLS Delivery Help Desk. This serves as the primary point of contact for delivery support. Because IHLS offers a wide range of services to our members, delivery cannot be the only service listed on the home page. If you go to the services menu and then click on delivery, you will find everything related to delivery. 

Member Comment: I wish there were a way to order more tubs or orange bags online, so it doesn't depend on me catching the driver that day.

IHLS Response: This is an option! Please reach out to us on the IHLS Delivery Help Desk.

Member Comment: Not much communication when making a change.

IHLS Response: This might depend on which communication platforms you follow. The following is a list of the methods in which we publish communications for delivery changes:
•    The IHLS Delivery News Website
•    The IHLS Member Connection Newsletter
•    The SHARE Member Notes Newsletter
•    A printed paper memo distributed with your delivery
•    Announcements during the IHLS Members Matter & Third Thursday Member CE & Updates virtual meeting

Member Comment: The drivers need to hold the buckets with the handles.  When they use one handle, the items in the bucket end up inside each other, leaving the pages messed up.

IHLS Response: We agree! Please submit an IHLS Delivery Help Desk Ticket when you have issues with any aspect of delivery. It helps us identify which driver is responsible and ensure the issue does not continue. 

Member Comment: I would like clarification on the Delivery on the Go items. Are we using the Delivery on the Go bags? We are told to use the bags, but then the drivers say not to use the bags… I just would like consistency.

IHLS Response: The Delivery On the Go (DOG) materials should continue to use the designated DOG bags, as this allows for separate tracking of these items. Drivers may occasionally place the DOG bag into a tote for delivery to the receiving library, which is acceptable. If you need additional bags, you can request them at any time through the IHLS Delivery Help Desk. If you receive information from a driver that differs from IHLS's official written procedures, please contact us because we may need to review our procedures with our team members. 

Member Comment: The lack of book slips meant that our staff and drivers kept mixing up incoming and outgoing totes since they look the same. 

IHLS Response: We implemented the new tub/bag label procedures specifically to help address this issue and make it easier to distinguish incoming and outgoing delivery containers. More information on this new procedure can be found at our website.

Member Comment: We're starting to have many steps that must be completed through the delivery service, which may make it difficult to train new staff. Maybe it would be helpful to develop a flip chart on handling interlibrary loans for new employees or as a refresher guide.

IHLS Response: This is a wonderful idea. We've just created one, which you can find on our website. 

Member Comment: We have received information about not overloading tubs, which indicates we should check tub weight. We are unable to do this. It would be beneficial to have fill guidelines instead of weight guidelines. The current yellow stickers indicate a fill line, which creates confusion for staff if we are not following them. 

IHLS Response: We do want libraries to follow the fill line for delivery tubs in addition to considering the weight limit. We've included additional information about the weight limit guidelines so that if a library staff member fills an entire tub of heavy books, the fill line alone would not keep the tub under 40 pounds.

Comments Specific to SHARE Members and the Automated Materials Handling System (AMHS)

Member Comment: We have 2 locations and have to separate items ourselves. This means we have to scan items to determine where each item is going and put it in the correct tub ourselves.

IHLS Response: IHLS should apply the branch-level receipts to your library branches. If you are not receiving those receipts, please contact us on the IHLS Delivery Help Desk so we can review your setup. You should not have to scan items to sort them. 

Member Comment: A small issue--a lack of labels gives us no place to write due dates on borrowed materials, and we have to now spend time and materials attaching a new ticket to each item on hold to put the due date on.

IHLS Response: You can continue printing patron hold receipts for this purpose without printing transit labels. This allows you to include due-date information while still reducing transit slip usage. Another alternative that some libraries use is sticky notes. Here is some additional information on how to adjust these settings. 

Member Comment: The two receipts on each book are a little aggravating

IHLS Response: We agree. Libraries can reduce this by turning off transit labels, as these are no longer required for SHARE members' deliveries. If your library uses branch-level receipts, you will then only receive one smaller branch-level sorting receipt when needed. 

Member Comment: I’m not familiar with this. I don't know how or why you would turn off transit labels.

IHLS Response: Here is some additional information on how to turn off transit labels. 

Member Comment: If I could participate in online training during our current library hours to explain the benefits & the process, that would help me to better understand. Most video call training sessions take place outside our hours of operation.

IHLS Response: Please contact the IHLS Delivery Help Desk. We are happy to discuss available options, answer questions, and provide assistance that works within your schedule. We also record all training sessions so that if you are unable to attend, you can watch the recording later. 

Member Comment: It seems that there are weekly changes to the procedures

IHLS Response: We understand that the number of procedural updates over the past year has created additional work for libraries and delivery staff as we get used to these changes. We’ve been working to improve our processes so that the delivery and Automated Materials Handling System (AMHS) run more smoothly and consistently in the long term. We're trying to shift away from outdated procedures that don’t support how we work today, just because that’s how it’s always been done. We do not anticipate another large project of this size anytime soon that would require many changes. 

Member Comment: My staff often comment on the number of items coming through delivery from many libraries that apparently never performed barcode duplication or switched to exterior barcodes. We complied because we felt it was required but are now questioning if we could have just avoided all of that extra work

IHLS Response: We are also concerned about this issue at the system level. While we previously provided barcode duplication for members who authorized us to duplicate their items, we cannot control items owned by members who did not authorize us to duplicate them. The IHLS Delivery Guidelines specify the procedures that SHARE Consortium members should follow for outside barcode placement: All items should have an external barcode visibly placed on the exterior of the item unless the library uses RFID for circulation. The preferred placement is horizontally in the front-top-left corner of the item. 

Member Comment: Some AMHS staff still don't understand what rubber bands mean on the items.

IHLS Response: Unfortunately, we still have several member libraries that use rubber bands on standard items, which creates confusion. If an item is intended not to be sorted by the machine, a rubber band alone will not “trigger” a hand-sort item. The item must also have the correct form. 

Member Comment: Will you have more open houses or expo days at the hubs for those of us who have not previously been able to attend and see the operations in action?

IHLS Response: Yes, at any IHLS-hosted event at one of our buildings, we advertise that members can also come and see the machine while they are here. If you would like to schedule a time to come that works for your library, please reach out to us via the IHLS Delivery Help Desk.