Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Blended Desk And Its Consequences On Collaboration, Christopher Magee, Michael Perini

Collaborative Librarianship

This article discusses the complications arising from the implementation of the “blended desk” model in an academic library and its influence on intra-organizational collaboration. Blended desks combine the physical spaces of traditional Circulation and Reference desks and staff in an arrangement with a new desk and multi-skilled individuals. Traditionally dissimilar mentalities and skill sets of the Circulation and Reference personnel along with a culture reflecting typical academic hierarchy all create impediments to the success of this service model. Given this, various reconsiderations of the blended desk model are suggested.