More than 80,000 books and other library materials should be in the hands of avid readers, library members and students. Instead, those materials are sitting in boxes and warehouses waiting to be transported.

Expak, a delivery service newly contracted by LibraryLink NJ, was supposed to begin picking up these items on Jan. 2, but deliveries didn't start until Jan. 8, causing a backlog of items on hold. Until its sorted out, inter-library loans in some counties are temporarily suspended.

LLNJ, a non-profit funded by the state library, began a new contract with Expak on Jan. 1 to transport library materials between branches, since its previous three-year contract with TForce/Dynamex was ending, LLNJ Executive Director Kathy Schalk-Greene said.

The backlog began the first week of 2018, Schalk-Greene said, when deliveries were cancelled due to an Expak subcontractor pulling out of the contract, and TForce/Dynamex was unable to handle those deliveries. Since then, Expak has been overwhelmed with the backlog.

"They basically did not hit the ground running," Schalk-Greene said.

Calls to Expak on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

From there, problems continued to cascade, leaving some libraries with 80 to 100 boxes of material that should have been transported weeks ago.

Out of the six library consortiums throughout the state, the Bergen County Cooperative Library System is the largest -- 76 branches share a common circulation system and catalog in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Passaic counties. It accounts for about 20 percent of N.J.'s libraries, but up to 50 percent of the volume that moves around the state, said Cindy Czesak, interim executive director of BCCLS.

Though libraries around the state are experiencing backlogs, BCCLS has the biggest. As of Wednesday morning, 71,000 library materials have accumulated, she said.

With 4,500 online requests submitted each day for items, these library patrons are not accustomed to waiting more than a few days for materials, Czesak said.

"The burden is trying to figure out other ways to satisfy people's needs, like if they want something we don't have, we'll say, 'Okay, let's see if we can find something else in our collection.' I'm spending a lot of time handling these questions," she said.

LLNJ, which is expected to pay $900,000 to the Dallas-based delivery company, is exploring legal options and reconsidering their contract, Schalk-Greene said.

Because of its exceptional service with other library cooperatives throughout the nation, Expak was chosen for the contract, she noted.

"We explored and got references from libraries in Tennesse, Washington, Idaho and Oregon. They all gave excellent references," Schalk-Greene said. "But we're extremely disappointed in their performance and exploring all legal options to rectify the situation."

LLNJ has set benchmarks for Expak to meet, though it is unclear what they are. The executive board will meet for an update on Feb. 7, Schalk-Greene said.

"We'll look back on this at the end of February and just hope we never have to deal with this again," Czesak said.

Sophie Nieto-Munoz may be reached at snietomunoz@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her at @snietomunoz. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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