In the past few weeks, it’s been difficult to open up Facebook without being bombarded by St Fessdrews posts from students commenting on the University’s implementation of covid protocol. Many of these posts are centered around the frustrating lack of study spaces for students since the closure of the Main Library at the beginning of the semester. When the University said goodbye to its students for winter break, the Main Library was open and functioning at half capacity, with certain sections of the library closed off entirely. However, in response to the rapid spread of the more transmissible Omicron variant, Main Library shut its doors entirely as students returned for second semester. Even though Main Library has since reopened its doors to students, its dependability is being called into question, as students were left without enough study spaces for the first week of the semester.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, university students have been plagued by a lack of study spaces, as many study spaces never reopened to full capacity. Before covid, Main Library was a dynamic space that ensured students had a reliable place to study in the center of town. However, last semester, the Library never opened to full capacity and implemented a booking system. ‘It was strange’, one anonymous student said. ‘If you book a space, oftentimes there’s someone in the space, and then you either need to ask them to leave or just sit somewhere else.’ Regardless, the student says, ‘it [was] better than no library at all.’
For students who live out of town, the closure of the Library proved particularly problematic. ‘I live so far out of town and it’s really hard to move resources around. The library and its hours make it easier to get my work done and get to my classes during the day,’ says Priya Purdy (‘22).
However, bearing in mind the necessity of the Library’s services, it is easier to understand why the Library wants to reopen cautiously this semester. A statement posted on the Main Library’s Facebook page outlines some of the difficulties the Library staff have grappled with due to covid outbreaks and regulations. According to current guidelines in Scotland, anyone who tests positive for the virus is required to self isolate. The Facebook post reads, ‘Even if a small number of people of our library team had to self-isolate, or got sick, this would mean many of the services you rely on would be affected and potentially unavailable.’ As noted in the post, sudden outbreaks of covid caused frequent and disruptive sudden closures last semester. The post acknowledged this as well, saying, ‘Last semester, we had to close the building several times at short notice to allow for deep cleaning, which is mandatory under health and safety guidance. We’re trying to avoid that happening again.’
However, with the Library’s closure, more students flock to computer labs and empty classroom spaces, where social distancing guidelines are rarely ever enforced. Priya has been spending more of her time in the Butts Wynd computer lab this semester because of the Library’s closure. She notes that ‘it’s ironic because these places are so much more crowded because the Library is closed, which doesn’t seem very covid-safe.’ Wilson Jones (‘22) echoed similar frustration, and recalled how it was difficult to find convenient spaces to study in town while the library was closed. ‘I would try to go to the computer labs and many of them were almost full,’ he said. ‘There is no study space in town that really compares to the Library in terms of space and accessibility.’
As of January 24th, the library is open once again, and as restrictions ease up, the Library will slowly return to what it once was. However, in the meantime, it seems like students could be in for more temporary disruption as the Library adheres to covid protocol.