[dropcap]D[/dropcap]CUSU hopes to have the library open study spaces to students by next week, says president Fearghal Lynch.
“We’re very confident now that we’ll get it open within the next week,” said the SU president. Since the beginning of Semester Two, Fearghal has been in talks with Dara Keogh and Declan Raftery about opening the library for students to study in.
“Obviously we would have liked it open for reading week,” said Fearghal. “I’m feeling pretty confident now that we’ll have everything open now by next Monday.”
“We’ve been inundated with emails and requests [from students] about having the library open,” said Fearghal, “and it should be open as well.”
UCD and Trinity College’s respective libraries are currently open for students to study in. “There are four universities in Dublin and DCU being one of the top universities in my opinion, that you’d want to have the library open like our counterparts in Trinity and UCD,” he also said.
“There’s a lot of students don’t have the best facilities at home to be studying.
“I know from a few of my friends as well and even just remembering when I was in college, the library – you need the space to study in the library.”
Following the completion of the Semester One exam period, the Cregan Library in St. Patrick’s campus in Drumcondra and the O’Reilly library in the Glasnevin campus have closed their study spaces since January 12. This was in response to government Covid safety guidelines as part of a nationwide lockdown.
It was initially said that this would extend to February 15, but this was again extended to March 8 due to an extended lockdown.
Prior to this, students could book a two-hour time-slot to study in the library. The SU is currently pushing that those time slots be extended, when study spaces in the library open, following feedback from students that two hours is too short.
Fearghal said if national lockdown is again extended, the SU will continue to fight for the opening of study spaces in the library.
A post on DCU SU’s Instagram story last night said that they hoped for an announcement this evening regarding the library situation, however, no such announcement has been made.
Niamh Quinlan
Image Credit: DCU Library /Twitter