What do I do if I have a missed service day?

Please complete the Firefly Issues Form for every missed day of service or driver “no-show” you have. This makes sure ExPak knows there is an issue with the driver they need to follow up on, and Tenn-Share works to make sure our bill accurately reflects service provided. ExPak may reach out with information about an alternative make-up service date if possible.

How do report missing, lost or damaged items?

Please complete the Firefly Issues Form, and select the appropriate option. An ExPak customer service representative will reach out to you with next steps.

How do I file a claim for a missing, lost or damaged Item?

Please complete the Firefly Issues Form, and select the appropriate option. Libraries can be reimbursed up to $100 per bag. Please note that if you intend to submit a claim for reimbursement, you must do so within 30 days of its expected delivery time. Your library should be reimbursed within 75 days of submitting the claim.

How do I report delivery of bags that don’t belong to my library?

Please complete the Firefly Issues Form, and select the appropriate option. An ExPak customer service representative will reach out to you with next steps.

How do I report days/holidays my library is closed?

Please complete the Firefly Issues Form to indicate when your library is closed for whatever reason, with the exception of the holidays below where no Firefly Courier service is provided:

  • January 1 – New Year’s Day
  • January, third Monday – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
  • February, third Monday – President’s Day
  • March or April, the Friday before Easter – Good Friday
  • May, last Monday – Memorial Day
  • June 19 – Juneteenth
  • July 4 (observed) – Independence Day
  • September, first Monday – Labor Day
  • November – Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday)
  • November – Day after Thanksgiving (Friday)
  • November 11 – Veteran’s Day
  • December 24 – Christmas Eve December 25 (observed) – Christmas Day
  • December 31 – New Year’s Eve

How do I ask for help on the ExPakShip Site (such as needing new login information)?

Please complete the Firefly Issues Form, and select the appropriate option. An ExPak customer service representative will reach out to you with next steps.

How do I get more Firefly bags?

You can request more bags from other libraries participating in Firefly by contacting us to join the Firefly Listserv. If you are a listserv member already, you can share on this is listserv by emailing firefly@list.vanderbilt.edu.

Many of our public library members also use the Tennessee Libraries Listserv to communicate about Firefly and request more bags of participating libraries.

In a pinch, you may send any packaging you would use for U.S. Postal Service (USPS) shipping on the courier. Boxes are acceptable, but please be sure all older marking/shipping information has been crossed out. You may also use courier bags you already have provided the barcoded label is clearly visible. Jiffy bags and non-USPS durable bins and totes are also acceptable.

How do I borrow a book without WorldShare or ShareIt?

If your library does not subscribe to OCLC’s WorldShare or your library’s integrated library system (ILS) is not able to interact with other Interlibrary Loan (ILL) portals, you can still borrow materials for your patrons via Firefly. Once you have searched WorldCat or particular libraries’ ILSs and found that it is in a potential library’s collection, WorldCat shows you the library’s contact information. Then you may:

  • Call the library’s Interlibrary Loan Department.
  • Check the library’s webpage for an ILL form or email address.
  • Email the library’s ILL Department and attach a filled out version of the ALA Interlibrary Loan Request Form.

What training is available on the Firefly Courier Service?

A quick reference guide for the ExPakShip site can be viewed here.

A video training on the site can be viewed here.

Firefly, ExPak, Tenn-Share, TSLA, and my driver named Joe! Who is in charge of this thing???
That is a great question that we get a lot! It can be pretty confusing.

Tenn-Share operates the Firefly Courier Service and contracts with a logistics company ExPak (who operates the site you use to manage your ILL orders, coordinates drivers on routes, and assists with service issues). ExPak often uses contracted zip couriers to service local routes, so your driver Joe is probably not an employee of ExPak or Tenn-Share. This is why using the Firefly Issues Form when problems arise is so critical to ensuring we can learn of problems early and work to address them.

All Tenn-Share member libraries can be part of the Firefly Courier Service, but the Tennessee State Library and Archives covers the cost of 2 stops per week for their 180 public libraries. We also have academic, metro and independent public libraries that use the service.

Please contact us if you have any Firefly-related questions that weren’t addressed here.