An academic library that focuses on delivering a personalized service is examined within the context of the boutique library model. It is suggested that a critical success factor in adopting a personalized, boutique-style service is acquiring knowledge and insight of our users. This, together with appropriate evaluation, will assist with providing evidence of service impact. A critical incident survey for third year dissertation students in a subject library is used to demonstrate the depth of knowledge essential for services to provide for their user populations. The extent to which obtaining user knowledge for making informed decisions about services underpins any academic library strategy is dependent on service managers. The conclusion is that local knowledge, along with evaluation of that information and tailored service implementation, is essential for academic library success, whatever the size of institution.

This article explores the adoption of Community Learning in a subject-specific academic library. The underlying principle for Community Learning is established as being co-agency. The rationale for adopting this theme and related principles are the results of student surveys demonstrating that librarians and libraries are not often used by students for assistance with their studies. Although much work has been achieved by librarians in improving their teaching skills, students may not choose to take advantage of learning provided in academic libraries. Current developments in US academic libraries are compared with the proposed model of Community Learning. The case study explores a number of methods employed by the library staff to engage with the whole community of which it is a part in fostering effective learning. The case study community already provides a tailored and personalized service and views Community Learning as another aspect of the service. It is possible to conclude that the methods adopted have proven to be useful, but more work is needed to embed the co-agency principle more firmly and strategically within the Faculty. Establishing the impact of Community Learning has yet to be formally investigated, but anecdotal evidence demonstrates that the route is worth pursuing.

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