IA Shares Courier Frequently Asked Questions
Who is handling the day-to-day management of the courier and who do we contact about any issues or problems?
MOBIUS is the group managing the specific workings of the courier. STAT Courier is the company making the actual pickups and deliveries.
Please contact the MOBIUS courier team at courier@mobiusconsortium.org or at 1-877-366-2487 and leave your message specifically for Scott or Steve.
Where is the label maker we should use to print out labels?
The MOBIUS label maker is available on our website. Select your library as the FROM library and your TO libraries should show up in the drop-down box.
What if we see a mistake of some kind in the label maker?
Please contact the MOBIUS courier team at courier@mobiusconsortium.org or at 1-877-366-2487 and leave your message specifically for Scott or Steve.
Can we pre-print labels?
Yes, you can pre-print labels for those libraries you send materials to on a regular basis. However, if a label is changed for any reason (this can happen if a route code changes, for example), this will be posted on the Iowa lists and you will need to recycle any affected pre-printed labels. (This is a rare occurrence, but it can happen.)
How frequent is the delivery?
Each public library in Iowa as part of the IA Shares program will receive delivery two days per week during a regularly scheduled delivery window. All ILL and Open Access materials intended to go to public libraries should be sent via IA Shares. Items sent for ILL may be sent via USPS to public libraries to facilitate quicker delivery, but it is entirely possible that items will get delivered faster through IA Shares, especially within the same hub.
Is the State Library included in this system as part of the route?
Yes. The State Library will use the system to send materials to libraries, as well as ILLs from the State Library. Other materials sent via the system may include summer reading program materials, bookmarks, promotional materials, and more.
How do I know my route and scheduled day and time for delivery?
Routes can be viewed on the IA Shares Delivery Schedule. You can see other libraries on your route by clicking your route number.
What if a library is not open on the scheduled delivery day?
If STAT Courier has scheduled a library’s regular delivery day and time during non-working or closed hours, libraries have several options to accommodate IA Shares delivery. These may include:
- Purchasing a lock box to be placed outside of the library and giving the route driver a key. Browse lock box options.
- Giving the route driver a key to the building to access the library outside of normal hours.
- Making arrangements at a nearby alternate location that is open during the scheduled delivery time, such as City Hall.
Libraries must notify Tom Keyser, State Library IA Shares Liaison (Tom.Keyser@iowa.gov or call Tom at 515-242-6542), to make arrangements for any of the above options for delivery outside of open hours. If none of the above options work for your library, please contact Tom to explore other options, including the possibility of a different delivery day and/or time, if feasible.
How do holidays affect the delivery?
For any days of service that fall on a holiday, a make-up day will be not be provided.
Do we miss a delivery if we need to close for bad weather or other reasons?
If the driver can’t make it to the library for whatever reason, the driver will contact MOBIUS and we will work with the library to make up that delivery stop within 48 hours, weather permitting.
Should a route contain multiple cancelled deliveries, the entire route will be rescheduled at the discretion of STAT Courier. If the library closes due to bad weather or other emergency, the library will need to email courier@mobiusconsortium.org and the situation will be handled on an individual basis.
How does the library issue a complaint about a driver or the service?
For any questions, issues, or concerns about your driver, route, or quality of service, please e-mail courier@mobiusconsortium.org to issue a specific complaint or give feedback. We take your concerns very seriously and we will work with you to resolve your issue(s). If a library has feedback about the overall service, please contact the State Library of Iowa.
Can I view route and schedule information for all libraries in the IA Shares program?
Yes, the route and schedule information for each library is posted on the IA Shares Delivery Schedule. Route maps can be viewed by clicking the route number.
Can a library pay for additional delivery days?
Yes. If a library seeks to add additional days per week to their schedule it will be at the ability and approval of STAT Courier. The additional cost will be determined by STAT Courier and would be payable by the library. The State Library has only contracted for one day per week of delivery to every Iowa public library.
Can we change our delivery time?
For the first few months of operation the routes will be “frozen” unless something is completely unworkable. Because of the size of the routes and number of stops covered by each driver, only limited time changes may be available. Email courier@mobiusconsortium.org and MOBIUS will work with STAT to see if there are any options.
What do we do if we’re going to be closed unexpectedly due to bad weather or something else?
First of all, be safe! Second, if you could please send us an e-mail (courier@mobiusconsortium.org) or call our 24 hour toll free number (1-877-366-2487) and we’ll do our best to get in touch with your driver.
Should we tell you if we know we’re going to be closed in the future?
Yes! As you plan your closings, please let us know by using the Service Change Form.
What do I do if something arrives and it is damaged?
Please note anything that is missing or damaged. If you believe the material is damaged due to the abuse or neglect of the courier, please contact the MOBIUS courier team at courier@mobiusconsortium.org or call us at 1-877-366-2487. Damaged material caused by the negligence of the courier will be replaced up to a cost of $50 per item. Anything damaged or missing due to patron abuse or neglect should be handled between the two libraries.
Can we send things other than books and AV material?
Please contact Scott & Steve at courier@mobiusconsortium.org or call us at 1-877-366-2487 for more information. In general, material that is considered “library work” such as flyers, bookmarks, AV holders, ink stamps and so on are accepted with some considerations. Material that is personal or business related such as checks, documents and so on is not.
What if we have a large collection or set we want to move?
Please contact Scott & Steve at courier@mobiusconsortium.org or call us at 1-877-366-2487 for more information. Typically, an extra stop or stops would be arranged with STAT and this would involve separate charges.
How do I handle lost items?
MOBIUS routinely checks with STAT regarding the status of bags and totes. As materials move around and as drivers transition between routes it is important that things keep moving. To this end, we have asked STAT to do a monthly sweep of their terminals and to check with drivers to insure materials are indeed moving as they should.
The SILO codes that are on each printed label are for the benefit of the individual libraries so if they choose to they can keep a record of what they put into each bag.
Lost material should be reported to MOBIUS and every effort will be made to find such material. This includes checking on SILO to see if the transaction has been updated there. Items that are lost should be listed as "missing" in SILO.
Lost items will be searched for up to six months. If they can not be found the lending library should invoice the borrowing library. For resolution of disputes with invoices please contact Tom Keyser (tom.keyser@iowa.gov).
Special, valuable, rare, no-longer-in-print, and other impossible-to-replace materials should not be placed into the courier due to the lack of tracking throughout the system. Please consider using a commercial service with tracking for those kinds of materials.
How long will the delivery take?
In networks with 3-5 day-a-week delivery, items can be delivered across the State in 2-3 days. With weekly delivery, in most cases the delivery from your library to the receiving library will be the next delivery day. The only exception would be if the library is very remote and their delivery day is the day after yours.
Is there same day delivery?
Drivers can deliver from one library to a following library on their route the same day. To check the order of the libraries on your route look at the schedule here (https://mobiusconsortium.org/iowacourier). To facilitate this items for libraries further down the route should be placed on top of other materials in the delivery tote.
How do we communicate with other libraries about delivery?
The State Library will add a category to Library Talk to facilitate discussion and requests for bags, totes, and other delivery related issues.
Will we have tracking of materials?
At this time there is no tracking of materials for the IA Shares program.
How will you get news out to us?
We have a broadcast-only listserv where we will be able to send announcements out to everyone that is part of the IA Shares community. These emails will come from ia-shares@lists.mobiusconsortium.org.
Can we respond back to the listserv?
No, it is an outbound/broadcast list only. For questions or other concerns, please e-mail courier@mobiusconsortium.org.
Where can I learn more about this program/project?
Check out the IA Shares Website for additional information.
Where can I learn more about MOBIUS and what they do?
Check out our About Page on the MOBIUS website for more information.
I missed the webinars that were given prior to the service starting up. Were they recorded by any chance?Yes. A recording of one of the webinars is available for viewing on the State Library of Iowa's Website