Twenty years ago, Cathy de Rosa—the head of marketing for OCLC at the time—identified two significant core themes of perception around library services: the library as a trusted information resource but also the need for increased self-service (De Rosa et al., 2005, p. ix; Stephens, n.d.). These themes continue to be identified as key components for libraries to strive for as services necessary for citizens and their welfare are becoming increasingly digitized (Rebergen et al., 2025). Taxes, banking, healthcare, billing, pay, legal, and other services necessary for life are increasing their virtual presence, however this shift does not necessarily improve ease of access for all people (Moore, 2019; van Holstein et al., 2021).
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