Torreyson Library has undergone several changes in how they service students.To be precautious of COVID-19, the library has updated how they will serve students in-person and digitally for the fall semester. 

The library is only allowing UCA faculty, staff and students access to in-person services. To enter the facility you must also wear a mask due to UCA’s campus wide policy. There is also no outside food or drink allowed inside the library. 

Additionally, the hours have been reduced from 24 hour access Monday through Thursday to 7:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m, Monday through Thursday, and 7:00 a.m. to 5:00pm on Friday. The Library is closed on Saturday but is open 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m on Sunday. 

“This is partly because we have six vacant positions in the library. There is a hiring freeze all over the campus….So that makes it difficult for us to be open the same hours as before,” irector of Torreyson Library Dean Covington said. 

Covington said these new hours are also a reflection of the new social distancing guidelines as well. “We’re going to try this and see what happens.”

To accompany social distance guidelines computer access and study rooms have been reduced and group study rooms are closed. There is also a rearrangement and reduction of furniture. “We are doing our best to create socially distanced study spaces,” Covington said. 

The library is also implementing a “no-contact pickup” for all of its physical items. This includes books, DVDs, musical scores and more. Through this “no-contact pickup” students are assigned one of the lockers by the front entrance of the library. One of the library workers will retrieve the item the student needs and place it in the locker. The student is then given a code to access the locker and retrieve their item. This does not include textbooks and reserves. 

Torreyson also has scanning services available that allow patrons to scan content from physical resources and deliveres it to them electronically. Content must meet copyright guidelines and users must complete a scanning request to use this service. 

The library staff is also doing their best to make sure spaces are properly cleaned and sanitized. There are keyboard protectors that make the computer keyboard easier to clean after individual uses, sanitizing wipes and disinfectant available to students placed all over the library, and extra custodial staff. 

The textbook collections are still available for use in the library, however, textbooks are not thoroughly cleaned or quarantined between use. For this reason, the library advises that textbooks be used with caution. Other books and physical items in the library and quarantined for three days, as recommended by the CDC. Laptops are still available for check out but must remain in the library and be returned within two hours.

All items, except for textbooks, course reserves, calculators and laptops, should be returned to the library’s outdoor book return, which is located at the front library entrance. 

Covington said there has been little negative feedback about the new changes from students. “Some students get a little frustrated when asked to wear their mask all the time. We go through the building periodically, observing and advising students to put their mask back on if they have taken it off or lowered it below their nose,” Covington said. “That’s the most critical way of fighting the spread of the virus.”

Senior Jack Barr is pleased with the way the library is handling the situation. “I think it’s great,” Barr said in relation to the new social distancing guidelines. “They are definitely necessary precautions and I think it will really help people realize when they actually need to use the library.”

“We’re open to any suggestions [students and faculty] have about what’s happening in the library. We have tried to create enough space for a little over 300 students…Hopefully we have made the kind of adjustments that will satisfy the majority of students,” Covington said.

All of the library resources that are online can be accessed by students on-campus or off-campus with myUCA login. For more information visit https://uca.edu/library/the-uca-library-and-covid-19-updates/.