Closing library buildings dissolved the structures and best practices built around the expectation of access of physical spaces, leaving a blank slate of virtual service to design and grow. Building a team of all-remote staff, and the processes to sustain them, presented its own challenge. No framework existed for staff to work at home; the creation of setting up home offices using personal technology; using technologies in ways they weren't necessarily intended and wfh workflows with the resumption of in-person service.

CLP’s new IL&PS team’s first activity was to provide virtual services (e.g. phone, chat) by creating a Customer Services Dashboard (CSD), a term used to describe the tools, practices, and policies that enabled remote service, including:

• Technology from multiple vendors
• Management practices, scheduling, and training
• Public-facing and internal documentation
• Connecting services to partners

The process was unique because it led to the creation of of a new library service — within only a few months.

A basic measure of success is the number of chats answered in the first year of the team providing virtual service — 18,475. The CSD eliminated barriers to access for partners and patrons during a confusing time. IL&PS also worked with equity in mind, connected with Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians patrons to services and gave students access to a new hotspot pilot program. Frequently, library patrons said the library was a “lifesaver” that created a connection during the worst points of the pandemic.