By: Rachel White

In August 2021, Undergraduate Services in Pattee and Paterno Libraries merged with what most of us know as Lending Services. Currently known as Common Services, we support and staff the desks at the East and West entrances of Pattee and Paterno Libraries as well as the main circulation desk. Common Services has expanded the training offered to staff, covering both the Welcome Desks and the main Circulation Desk, resulting in a more consistent user experience and less need to travel between desks. Users can now check out materials at any public service desk on the first floor. The unit’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, providing a high level of customer service, processing incoming and outgoing library materials, and re-shelving library materials.

The merger of departments isn’t without challenges, compounded by the ongoing pandemic, so we’ve had our share of growing pains. To that end, supervisors and staff meet regularly to discuss operational concerns, and have made changes to the provision of services based on needs. Supervisors encourage open communication so that staff can ask questions, share concerns, and talk about what is and isn’t working. COVID has continued to present a number of challenges when it comes to how we interact with our patrons, how to keep staff safe, how we schedule, and how (and when) to provide services and hours.

Looking to the future, we continue to work on identifying and formalizing roles and specialties within the department to fully leverage the expertise and strengths of our talented staff. Our
primary goal is to continue to build a strong, cohesive, and patron-focused team.