By Maille Bennett
With classes starting up again at Stonehill, students are heading back to the library, but life there will not be quite the same.
“We have a reduced number of students at a time in the building,” Librarian at Stonehill College, Lindsay Boezi, said, “We are running at 40% capacity. Study rooms, which students have used for years, are now being used as a place students can take their online courses instead of a place a small group can study and work together. We have Plexiglass and stickers on the floor to encourage social distancing.”
Walking into the library, plexiglass surrounds the help desk to protect students and staff working there. There are also stickers on the floor for students and staff to follow, and signs have been posted to promote social distancing.
“Students can still use the library in its regular capacity, but we all must adhere to physical distancing guidelines, and we must all wear masks. Study rooms are still available, but are limited to a capacity of one or two students, depending on the size of the room.” Boezi said.
The library has reduced the number of people in study rooms based on social distancing and limited capacities. This reduced amount of people, who are living on campus, limits the flow of people going in and out of the library.
“I have not been to the library yet, however, I do think Stonehill is doing a great job on keeping their students safe. I think they have really good rules and regulations set up to keep classrooms clean and well-kept while they try and figure out what to do day by day,” Yara Nassif, a senior at Stonehill College, said.
The number of students this year on campus is much lower than years past. Students are commuting to campus or living remotely from home. This alters how, and if, students can take books out of the archives.
“The library is not doing physical reserves this semester, because physical materials need to be quarantined for 72 hours after each use. All reserves are online and available to all students,” Boezi said.
All students have access to each and every book. All books are online, and the librarians are still available to help students on a daily basis.
“Students may still check out books. If they know what book they want to check out, the library requests that they call ahead. We will pull the book for you and hold it at the desk for pickup; this reduces the number of people touching books in the stacks, which reduces the need for quarantining. If a student needs help with choosing a book, they can still come to the library, and a staff member will help them search for the right resource,” Boezi said.
Eating and drinking is still allowed in the library. Students must wipe down their desks and work areas before and after eating and put on masks directly after finishing their food.
“We want our students to know that although there are many new policies in place, we are still here to serve them and are working to make their library experience as positive as possible,” Boezi said.
Comments