There is a fundamental tension between a system's role as the center of a federation and its role as an arm of the state. There is a tension between mandated requirements and local needs. There is a tension between a statewide equalization program and local control. However, it is important to understand and be conscious of the nature of the environment where we operate. Systems can get into trouble when they aren't sensitive to the tensions that exist between their roles and their constituents.
Systems have too many obligations and lack focus.
It's not uncommon to hear people from larger libraries say that systems exist to help small libraries. It's also not uncommon to hear people from small libraries say that systems provide services that are not relevant to their needs in small communities. I don't think so. Systems can provide valuable services to libraries of all sizes. However, I believe that these comments stem from the fact that systems lack focus.