After months of remote learning for students globally, universities across the world are beginning a new method of teaching for the upcoming academic year.

We asked our Specialist Librarian panel how their institution has adapted to meet the needs of their students and staff in the new restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Has your library physically reopened this term? If your library is already open please let us know how this has worked so far?

University in the UK

We opened our library physically over the last few weeks of August to practice “Covid” readiness and opened new library space as well as the existing one. Initially only a few Masters, Research and final year students with dissertation to complete came into the library, which gave us a chance to see how our plan worked in action and make tweaks accordingly. Then in September we welcomed our new first years before all the students returned.

University in Australia

All our libraries opened on 3 June 2020. While the education is primarily online the student residences are approximately 70 per cent occupied and we have are providing physical spaces to support their study and services including reference and research supporting.

Students are using the study spaces both for the traditional study spaces and for tutorial groups and support to study together. As they cannot attend tutorials and lectures the support from the library means a rethinking of our spaces – group study spaces are fully books and informal study spaces have developed.

University in the UK

The main university library is open for services such as Click and Collect, Scan and Deliver, and book returns. Registered staff and students can make an appointment to study in the various reading rooms, but they cannot browse the shelves, they have to have their books collected for them by staff.

The staff who have returned to the main library are either involved with the Zero-contact services, invigilating in the reading rooms, or dealing with print book deliveries/cataloging/invoices and legal deposit items which were accepted from mid-July and which had built up a substantial backlog.

Some faculty and college libraries are slowly opening up, offering limited services, based around click and collect, scan and deliver, and book returns.

University in China

Our library has resumed normal since 31 Aug. So far, we still keep some special services to reduce the physical visit to the library by the user.

University in North America

We will be operating remotely for the fall semester.

University in North America

The University library has been open since July 2020 and students came back to campus mid-August. Access to the library is limited to current students, faculty and staff only. Hours have been reduced, full time staff are in the building at all times and protocols have been put into place for use/quarantining of physical materials, cleaning, and maintaining social distancing. It is going fairly well but there is definitely added stress to staff.

University in India

We are already open with students and staff maintaining social distancing guidelines, sanitization, thermal scanning and separate spaces for the readers and with limited hours.

University in Zimbabwe

We have opened our library and are now allowing limited number of students into the building to read and study. We are accommodating 30 per cent of the full capacity.

Health and Safety Measures

The majority of our panel reported that:

• Hygiene stations are in place
• Face coverings to be worn when walking around the building (can be removed while at a socially distanced study space)
• Screens installed
• Quarantine returned and “in-Library use” books for 72 hours
• One way system
• Furniture has been moved to ensure social distancing of 1.5m
• Staff checks that students are following the guidelines
• Where possible staff are working from home
• Limited opening hours, allowing cleaners longer to do a deep clean each day
• Booking appointments in reading rooms
• Staggered entry times
• Temperature check

Share your experiences with us at @cambridgeuplib or reach out to discover what support we can offer you at library.marketing@cambridge.org

Interested in being part of our online Specialist Librarian community? Apply here.