Queen’s have clarified their plans on the library services to be open 24-hours to students during the forthcoming exam period, stipulating the several ground floor areas to be made accessible.
BY BRENDAN HUGHES
The extended hours study area, Language Lab 1, the atrium, and the coffee lounge will be made available. 24-hour opening of the library is set to begin this Sunday (29th November), as announced previously on the library plasma screens.
A post on the library blog yesterday said that only the extended hours area, atrium and coffee lounge areas would be made available. However, today has seen Language Lab 1 added to the roster.
Elizabeth Traynor, Assistant director of Library Services, said, “We will monitor usage closely and take steps to put additional provision in place if required by actual levels of usage.”
Many students have expressed concern over the amount of study space and computer workstations to be made available for the remaining weeks of term. Users of the new library have found it increasingly difficult to find free PCs or enough desk space as the semester has progressed.
Ms Traynor highlighted that during the day there are computers available for students in Elmwood, the Ashby, MBC and PFC. In regards reading space, she asserted, ”During normal hours there are plenty of reader seats to be found in the new Library.”
“PCs in the new Library are in demand during busy periods but even then there are still free PCs to be found, including the wireless laptops available for students to borrow,” she noted.
Jim Cunningham, Assistant Director of IT Systems & Services, has encouraged students to check the availability of computers through their website (see bottom of this page), which refreshes every few minutes to show up-to-date information on available computers across the campus.
Due to the huge demand, Mr Cunningham and his team have been tasked with providing additional machines for students.
“Equipment is very heavily utilised…My cabling team has just finished installing services for an additional 12 machines in the Extended Hours Room and the 12 PC’s are on order,” he said.
Some students have called for the Seamus Heaney library to be re-opened during the day so that there are more computers available. Ms Traynor ruled this out as an option, explaining that the building is now under the management of the Estates department at Queen’s. The building is being redeveloped as a centre for International and Postgraduate students, and is due to open in April/May 2010.
Ms Traynor advised students to be aware of the other areas around the campus where computers and study space are available.
For an up-to-date record of computers available: http://www.qub.ac.uk/SCC/qub-only/SCCoccupancy0-1.html
I think it’s ridiculous that the ol’ Heaney is being turned into Postgrad centre. Why are undergrads being left out in the cold on this one!?
Well the entire students union acts as an undergraduate center.
Postgraduates haven’t had a dedicated location since the demise of the old senior common room.
It’s fr-fr-eeeezing outside! My baby finger is progressively turning black and my clothes are Primark’s best quality (it’s all us students can afford, they don’t contain the heat and yet the university that we pay 3,000 in excess per year is not even giving us a place to rest our icecube bodies and over-worked minds during this winter/exam season!?
Can anyone spare some cardboard? The ones in my shoes got stolen.
What’s stopping Post-grads from using the Student’s Union anyways???
If the Heaney isn’t being used till the end of the year why can’t they just open it at exam time. There doesn’t seem to be anymore speating in the new library – at exam time it’s just ridiculously hard to try and get a seat!
Re-open the Heaney!
Congratulations to the Educaiton & Welfare committee and VP Education who pushed for this.
Well there was a bargain furniture sale in the Heaney a month or so ago so perhaps there isn’t much of the original furniture left to sit on…
Its great to see all the of ground floor of the library open 24 hours but can someone tell me why we can’t take out short loan books? There are self service machines in there but they had notices on them not to be used. I’m going to ask the library people but wondered what others thought here.