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This paper uses cultural-historical activity theory to examine the nature of learning assistance, provided in university settings, to assist learners in coping with academic study. Alternative rival constructions of learning assistance, either as a part of an overall university activity system, or as an activity system overlapping with other separate activity systems (e.g. library and faculty) within the university, are outlined. Data from a research study at one university are used to describe the object, tools and tensions in learning assistance; and, together with the history of the service, these are used to suggest that the current situation is one where the objects of the learning assistance unit, the faculty and library have separated from the object of a university.