Supporting 21st century learning & teaching; who's got the power? Academic libraries: at the heart of the university

In the higher education (HE) sector there has been increasing interest in delivering a range of support services within a single physical space. This space is often to be found within the library, and the services provided have been termed as converged service models (Bulpitt, 2012). These service models have taken precedence over the last two decades (Hanson, 2005) and have become synonymous with the provision of library services (Melling & Weaver, 2013). This paper identifies the models of converged service within the current published literature, recognises the main drivers for their inception and discusses the power wielded by the providers, the university, and the recipients, the students, of academic library services. It is hoped that by understanding the differing ways the models have been planned, implemented and evaluated will help to uncover a starting point for the future analysis of current service models. The paper also provides evidence to support the further analysis of current models for converged service delivery within HEI libraries, and to understand whether the academic library still retains its status as the ‘heart of the university’ (Oakleaf, 2010)