Can’t find a study space? No parking in the Library from Week 7
You regularly tell us that we need to do something about people reserving seats in the Library, for example that “Seat-hogging has to stop!“, explaining your frustration, asking us to prevent students ‘reserving’ study spaces and to clarify our view on this practice. We’ve listened and after consultation with the Students’ Association, SRC Education Committee and Student Library User Group, from Monday 26th October we will be placing tickets on desks left with belongings for more than one hour. Here is an example of the yellow parking tickets to look out for:
Over the last few years, the University has worked hard to improve study spaces for students in the Main Library. During 2011 and 2012, £7m was spent refurbishing the building which added 400 new study spaces. Further redevelopment of the building is being planned over the next couple of years, which will improve the café, toilet and study facilities as well as providing another 400 spaces. And recently we have increased opening hours (by 30% during semester and 50% during vacations), added more study spaces to level 2 and power to a further 260 desks over the summer.
However, surveys conducted by the Students’ Association, the Library and, more recently nationally through NSS, PRES and PTES, have all included comments from students frustrated by a lack of space. In particular, the Library receives regular complaints from students not able to find a desk because of “seat hogging” or abandoned belongings being left for hours on end. This isn’t unique to St Andrews; we know that lots of other university libraries try to manage a situation whereby some students feel they have no choice but to leave their belongings in order to guarantee a desk for themselves after a break. St Andrews isn’t the first university by any means to establish such a system and we’re not breaking any new ground with this tactic.
From Monday 26th October, look out for our posters, letting you know that the campaign has started:
Ewan McCubbin, Assistant Director of the Library explains how the parking tickets will work:
“Our staff will keep an eye on study spaces and any desk that has had unattended belongings left on it for at least an hour will have a yellow parking ticket placed on it. If another student is looking for a study space and sees a yellow ticket on a desk, they will be able to occupy the space for themselves. When the original occupier returns to the desk, the ticket simply states that they should gather their belongings and find somewhere else to work.
We know not all students will think this is a good idea but feel that in order to improve the situation for the majority, we need to say to students that leaving your belongings for any length of time and particularly for half the day isn’t fair on others. Not only is another user being denied a space, the student is placing their belongings at serious risk of theft.”
Tania Strützel, Postgraduate Convenor added:
“We have been working very closely with the Library on the issue of study space over the past few years and seat hogging has frequently featured in feedback from students as a problem that should be addressed. The new parking ticket system aims at alleviating some of the pressure on study space experienced in the Main Library at peak times. More importantly it will help raise awareness among students about the issue of seat hogging and that it is not fair on other students to occupy a seat for hours without using it. Together with the Library, we will keep the new system under review and we encourage students to give us feedback through their class reps and School Presidents.”
Library staff will closely monitor the campaign and student reaction in the coming months, take on board your feedback and continue to work with the Students’ Association to improve the study space experience as much as possible.
If you have any questions, please email us: [email protected]