On August 24, Rochester began its fall semester and welcomed students, faculty, and staff back to the River Campus. From the time campus closed to this moment, we have spent countless hours developing plans to ensure the University community’s safety within our spaces. The plan we developed is in alignment with University, county, and state regulations and guidelines. Additionally, our team created a set of principles to guide our decisions, actions, and how we evaluate issues:
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The health and safety of our community is a shared responsibility
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We assume good intentions and build positive relationships with every encounter and exchange
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We leverage empowerment and positive reinforcement to influence behavioral change
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We recognize that some patrons will not follow physical-distancing guidelines
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Space, service, and policy (re)design will support responsible choice-making
Over the summer, we were proud to have the Barbara J. Burger iZone serve as a “test site” for reopening. Providing this study space for students gave our team invaluable experience and insight that informed how we prepared our other spaces and has given us the confidence and knowledge to respond to any situation.
One of the aspects of our reopening plan that was particularly challenging was accounting for physical distancing and the subsequent loss of space. Creating a safe environment that adheres to guidelines resulted in a 65 to 70 percent drop in available study space with our libraries. Realizing what a premium this puts on our spaces, we are asking our students to help us create a considerate and understanding environment by limiting their usage of our spaces to two hours. We have also installed new technology that will enable us to better communicate study space availability, which you may remember seeing in last month’s Tower Talk.
In addition to regulating our spaces, we’re taking precautions with our physical materials, including quarantining items, such as books, for a minimum of 72 hours after use. This means we cannot offer physical course reserves’ service as loan periods are typically two hours or one day. We will rely on digital titles to fill this need. Fortunately, we have a team of experts who are fully capable of assisting faculty in their search for digital alternatives, many of which support our sustainable scholarship initiative and ACT Commitment.
Despite the circumstances, this remains one of our favorite times of the year. We are incredibly excited to have our students back on campus. We are committed to doing everything we can to provide, supplement, or enhance our students’ learning experience.
On behalf of the River Campus Libraries team, I wish you a bountiful, safe, and memorable academic year! Know that we’re here to support you. Just give us a shout when you need us!
Mary Ann Mavrinac
Vice Provost and Andrew H. and Janet Dayton Neilly Dean
University of Rochester Libraries
