A cautionary tale: Merging library service points and department cultures amid internal change and external disarray

This paper describes an academic library’s experience combining circulation, course reserves, technology lending and support, and reference into a single service point over time amidst COVID and leadership changes. The authors encourage libraries undertaking single service point models to: recognize the differences in transactional versus consultative or experiential interactions; acknowledge and build around cultural differences in units; incorporate assessment of user needs into planning; integrate impact and success assessment into ongoing service delivery; and maintain a clear vision of project goals, expectations, and personnel responsibilities throughout the entire project, particularly during staffing and leadership transitions.