Undergrads returning to Aberdeen after summer break have told The Gaudie of their frustration after ‘staffing issues’ have forced the Duncan Rice Library to ‘temporarily’ close at the earlier time of 22:00 – with over 91% of students surveyed saying they had no idea of the change in opening hours.
Just six months after the closing of the University’s voluntary severance scheme, which saw 153 staff departing, a lack of staff means that for night owl students, studying in the library is not an option. When asked if the opening times of the SDR were sufficient, 46% of students told The Gaudie they disagreed, with only 25% of students happy with the hours of operation.
A “lack of study spaces”
The University operates a number of study spaces across both Old Aberdeen and Foresterhill, and despite listing these on the ‘Students’ section of the University website, it seems many students are unaware of their existence, with third-year Sociology and Linguistics student Nella noting that although she is aware of the many options, “they are not advertised nearly enough.”
Glancing at the list of available study spaces, the obvious solution to the library’s shuttering would be for the 83% of students who said they’d use the SDR between 22:00 and 00:00 to head to the MacRobert building – which can be accessed 24 hours a day by swipe card access. Yet, when asked by The Gaudie, 72% of students had no idea that the MacRobert building is open throughout the night.
One second-year student suggested the aesthetics of the SDR also hinders availability:
“The layout of SDR really didn’t cut it. It’s a great building architecturally but with the space in the middle it quickly becomes crammed even at 50% capacity.”
They continued with a suggestion: “It would be great to have other spaces such as in department buildings which would maybe get rid of some of the traffic in SDR.”
It is clear that many classrooms are available for students to use but it still appears there is a striking lack of awareness. Studying the list of available locations further, it seems the problem is not a lack of study spaces, but instead a lack of advertisement, with over 76% of respondents telling us that there are not enough spaces to study on campus.
Could 24/7 access during exam season be at risk?
According to a University spokesperson, the earlier closure is only temporary, but as the University scrambles to find security staff to cover the later opening, students have told us of their worries as the term edges closer to exam season.
A second-year Politics and International Relations student said: “[Last year] in November and December, I found that even after a 10 am lecture the library would be really full, sometimes even 75% and when looking for other places to study like the MacRobert café and Fraser Noble, they are full too.”
Another concerned second year studying Psychology agreed, adding: “during exam time there isn’t enough space and rooms to study in.
Every seat is usually taken and it’s hard to find a place around campus. Now I have a bookable study room in my accommodation but for others, I don’t know what they would do.”
The reduced opening times undoubtedly raise concerns about the ‘Rice Cube’s’ hours during the busy exam season – and serious questions must be raised about the future of 24-hour opening.
A recent FOI by The Gaudie revealed the cost of operating between 00:00 and 08:00 was £47,134 for just 45 days of extended opening in 23/24. The cost of contracted staff for the 24-hour opening was almost £36,000 in 22/23.
University responds…
Addressing the concerned students, a University spokesperson said: “The University has temporarily reduced opening times between 10 pm and midnight at the Sir Duncan Rice Library. The reduction applies Sunday to Thursday and reflects reduced availability of staff needed to safely operate the building at those times.
At the beginning of term use of the library between these hours is very low even at 10 pm and falls rapidly by 11 pm. Occupancy can then be as low as 11 individuals in a library with a capacity of 1,000. We know that as exam time approaches, demand for study spaces increases and we are working to ensure that we can meet those needs as the academic year progresses.”
Students wishing to follow the trends in opening hours for the SDR and Taylor libraries may wish to consult ricecube.live, a tracker developed by computing students Alan Fleming and Ben Greenidge, which reports live occupancy and trends. Unaffiliated with The Gaudie Student Newspaper.