Delivery Diary: In the Driver’s Seat with Tele Kanzaki

RAILS delivery is arguably one of the most crucial services provided to member libraries and one of the most recognizable parts of RAILS' services. According to our RAILS: Numbers that Count data, “In 2024, our 46-delivery staff produced a 2813% return on investment by delivering 7.9 million items to our member libraries.” RAILS delivery service operates five days a week. RAILS has five locations that provide service to the library system: Bolingbrook, Burr Ridge, Coal Valley, East Peoria, and Rockford. Delivery service is an integral component of RAILS. 

Without our team of delivery staff, delivery service would not be possible. Their hard work and dedication result in satisfied patrons and more accessible collections. Without drivers, sorters, and floaters, delivery would not be possible, and resource sharing throughout Illinois would suffer. To connect our member libraries to those who work every day to provide them with this essential service, we’ve developed our Delivery Diary series. Read on as we get to know more about our delivery staff, and hopefully, our libraries as a whole. We will be interviewing one RAILS driver, sorter, or floater in each blog post to learn more about our team members who libraries rely on for continued service.

This week’s featured delivery employee, Tele Kanzaki, has been at RAILS for three years and works as a delivery driver at our Coal Valley Service Center. Coal Valley is the smallest of RAILS' service centers, employing four delivery staff, but its service area delivers to over 40 member libraries.  

I spoke with Tele about his experience at RAILS, and some of his recent favorite activities and media. Tele celebrated his third anniversary with RAILS this October.  

GG: Congratulations [on your work anniversary]. What does a typical day look like for you?  

TK: I come in at about seven, and then usually, at the fastest pace I can, I load up the van and try to get out of here. I load up 20 bins, and then I hit a bunch of libraries. I start in the Quad Cities, which is an urban area, and then I head out into the country and drive along the Mississippi River basically every single day. 

GG: When does your day usually end? 

TK: I have long days, and I have short days. My long days usually get over around 4:00 p.m. My short days get over around 1:30 p.m. 

GG: Do you like to listen to anything when you drive, and if so, what have you been listening to recently?  

TK: I mix it up. I can't do any one thing. I do a lot of podcasts. I've been listening to an audiobook of John le Carré novels, and then I'll also listen to some NPR.  

GG: What's your favorite thing you've watched or read recently?  

TK: I watched that new Tim Robinson movie, Friendship, a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty crazy, and it made me sweat, but I did laugh pretty hard. I really liked that. Then I haven't been reading as much as I would like to, but I have been listening to the John le Carré audiobooks, basically, every single day.  

GG: Do you think you prefer audiobooks, usually, over physical?  

TK: Yes... I'm using the van for four and a half hours a day, so it makes it a lot easier.  

GG: What's a hobby you've been enjoying lately?  

TK: I've recently been earnestly trying to learn Spanish. I do Babbel. I try to listen to things in Spanish. I've been earnestly trying to learn Spanish, and then I have a dog, and I really like taking her for walks.  

GG: How old is your dog?  

TK: She is less than a year old. I think she's 10 or 11 months... She's adorable and insane.  

GG: Windows down or windows up?  

TK: Windows down unless it's too hot or too cold.  

GG: What is the best or most interesting interaction you've had while on the job?  

TK: There was one day in the winter... I was having a bad day because it was snowing. The job's really nice in the spring and summer and fall...I was having a bad day, and then some kid at a library that gets a ton of books, in the middle of nowhere, said like, "Thanks for bringing me all the books, Mister," in the most childish voice I've ever heard.  

It really brightened up, I don't know, the next like three or four weeks for me, because...those moments, like bringing in books to places out in the middle of nowhere...makes the job pretty cool because I'm working for the people.  

GG: Yes, especially because they are a kid who really enjoys reading, and you can help make that possible.  

TK: Yes.  

GG: That's super important! Is there anything you wish library workers or patrons knew about delivery?  

TK: No, I guess not. I'm happy that, at least, they see me and say hello, but that's about it. I think they know what I do. This job feels meaningful [and] that’s awesome. 

Thank you to Tele Kanzaki and Jeff McKamey for making this interview possible.  

For more information on delivery, please refer to our RAILS Delivery webpage. 

Interviews for the Delivery Diary series occurred in June 2025.