The University of Edinburgh’s Library services are to be expanded in line with the easing of lockdown restrictions on Monday 26 April, however not all students are happy with the overall timing and the closure of ‘click and collect’ services.
With Scotland set to revert to a tiered system of restrictions from Monday 26 May, Edinburgh will be placed in tier three.
Up to six people will be able to meet outdoors, and two households can meet indoors in public.
Restaurants, cafes and pubs can also open indoors until 8pm but alcohol will not be permitted to be sold.
Restaurants, pubs and cafes with outdoor seating space will be allowed to sell alcohol outdoors until 10pm.
Non-contact sports can also resume and gyms will also reopen for individual exercise.
In line with these changes, all university libraries and study spaces will also reopen from Monday, excluding the Scottish Studies Archive and Library.
The Main Library will also expand its opening hours, opening at 8 AM daily rather than 10 AM at present and students will once again be able to borrow books from the library collection.
Study spaces will be bookable all-day.
Face coverings and social distancing remain mandatory.
But the resumption of in-person browsing has also resulted in the closure of the university’s ‘click and collect’ service, which has proved popular with students this semester.
Established in February, it enabled students to borrow up to three items from discoverEd, the university’s online library browsing service, and collect them at the Main Library.
The ‘scan and deliver’ service remains unaffected.
Speaking to The Student, Yann a student at the University of Edinburgh on his year abroad, said:
“It really is too bad not to carry on with this [click and collect] tool”, adding that “it does not seem like a lot but when you’re conducting extensive research, it helps you to collect different books everyday when you have a lot of turnovers with your book selection.”
He was more optimistic though about the expansion of library opening hours.
“For students who have no access to a quiet place at home, the more you extend these [opening] hours, the more you allow these students to have some independence”.
Image: Geograph