The Plum Creek Library System’s courier van, dubbed DAISY (Delivery Service All Inclusive Serving You), has traveled its last route across the system territory and has been retired. The cargo van logged nearly 200,000 miles and, in 2021, replaced the former delivery vehicle that had provided 450,000 miles of road service for several years.
The new delivery van, named Vincent Van Go, adorned with colorful graphics from head to toe hit the road this week bringing delivery service to the 26 libraries and 13 school locations throughout the system.
The Plum Creek Library Service (PCLS) operates a courier service that delivers interlibrary loans and other materials to the 26 member library locations and 13 schools throughout the 9-county system. Running on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, the van logs weekly an average of 1,046 miles, 4,204 per month, and 50,448 annually, and traverses the counties of Cottonwood, Jackson, Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Redwood and Rock.
PCLS is one of 12 library systems scattered throughout the state. The Minnesota Reciprocal Borrowing Compact ensures that users can access collections owned by any library around the state. Library cardholders in southwestern Minnesota can borrow materials from their local collection or they can easily access over 800,000 items owned by the PCLS-member libraries.
Any item not owned by a PCLS library can be borrowed from anywhere in the state, expanding the collection size to more than 28,000,000 items, including public, school, academic, and special libraries. An efficient delivery system makes access to specialized and valuable information possible no matter where in Minnesota you live.
With the vast amount of information available and rising costs, a single library can’t meet all of the demands placed upon it. The PCLSmember libraries share resources and working together, can achieve common goals as well as meet the needs of the individual communities.
Look for the new courier van as it traverses the miles of highways throughout PCLS, representing the dedicated services that the libraries and staff provide their patrons.
