Reference services in academic libraries often focus on user education and giving students the skills to perform their own searches. This article describes a new Research Concierge Service established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic by Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) in southwest Missouri. The service entails library staff curating a…

In 2015, the Research and Instructional Services Unit of Meyer Library at Missouri State University was challenged to update and rethink the current service model and space. We had been operating in a traditional reference model, including a large, walkup reference desk that was staffed primarily by faculty librarians. After reviewing the…

Kimberly Martin is just 30, but she's been reinventing the Bonner Springs City Library since late 1998, even before she earned her library degree. Some 20 minutes west of Kansas City, Bonner Springs is a small town (service population around 10,000) in a bustling metropolitan area. Martin's goal is to provide service on a par with the larger…