With the news that the Canada Post job action has transitioned to rotating strikes -- here's some suggested tips if your library is re-opening or restoring additional services in Illume (SHAREit)!
Libraries are expected to make decisions that work best for their library, and these tips below are based on feedback from previous postal strikes. Illume (SHAREit) will continue to remain available and supported during any Canada Post job action. If your library is remaining closed check-out our detailed Closure tips guide here: https://illumebc.ca/news-events/news/2025/10/tips-during-canada-postal-job-action
Tips for Restoring Illume Services:
- Temporary Closures: If your library temporarily closed for new lender and patron requesting, libraries can update their Staff Dashboard > ILL Admin > Participant Record > Show Request This Button for "Guests" (if normally activated for patron requesting) and delete any dates in their Holiday List to immediately re-open. Please contact us if you'd like any assistance!
- Lending Policies: Some libraries, such as Post-secondary libraries, may have temporarily updated their system Lending Policy to auto-reject requests for physical formats like Books. Please don't forget to add those physical formats back in for lending so they aren't auto-rejected anymore.
Tip: Consider updating your Lending Policy to allow Renewal requests for physical formats during the rotating strikes as materials are expected to take longer to arrive and Borrowers may need to request renewals.
- Home Page Message: Consider adding or updating any homepage Notices on Illume (SHAREit) with information to patrons about the strike and notice of delays receiving ILLs during rotating strike action. Check-out our UX Admin video guide here for how to edit/remove notices or contact us for assistance.
Tips for Managing Requests:
- Borrower "Overdue": If your library receives an item that was held by Canada Post, it may go immediately to "Overdue". You can ask the lender for a Renewal in SHAREit or directly via email/telephone if their system Lending Policy auto-rejects it.
- Lender "Shipped": Many Lenders may have already marked an item as Shipped but were not able to send out the package before the job action started! Please contact the Borrower library directly if you are unsure they would still like the item.
Tip: If a request was marked as Shipped but it's no longer possible for the Lender to supply the item -- unfortunately the shipped status cannot be undone after midnight on the Date Shipped. Lenders should instead "Check In" the material and Borrower libraries will unfortunately need to re-create the request.
- Retry/Unfilled Requests: More requests than usual may have gone to Retry or Unfilled during the postal strike. Many libraries accidentally reject requests with "Unfilled" reasons, even though the item is normally available, and we recommend using the Rebuild Lenders button/option to refresh all available lenders before re-approving requests.
We hope these Illume (SHAREit) tips and recommendations for managing requests during the Canada Post rotating job action are helpful!
We also recommend contacting any other libraries directly if you have questions for them about the management of individual requests or items during the postal strike as local policies may differ and some libraries may not be re-opening at this time.
Please contact us if you have any additional questions/concerns or would like some assistance updating any settings/configuration in Illume (SHAREit). We're here to help however we can!
