Trinity’s libraries abruptly closed this evening with no notice given to students, leaving some users locked out of the building with their belongings still inside.
According to the libraries’ website, new reduced opening hours are to come into force tomorrow. The BLU complex and the Hamilton library will close at 6pm instead of the current 8pm. Kinsella Hall, which is normally open 24 hours a day, will close at 10pm.
Some students who had briefly left the building returned to find themselves locked out with no way of retrieving the belongings they had left inside.
Regarding the closure, Tom Molloy, Trinity’s director of public affairs and communications, told this newspaper that Trinity was still “trying to work out the exact sequence of events, but what we know is that the library will be open at nine o’clock tomorrow”.
In a statement to The University Times Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) Education Officer Megan O’Connor said: “Unfortunately the timing couldn’t be worse for students with exams starting next Monday. It is simply not good enough to suddenly kick everyone out of the library two hours before the scheduled closing time and without any warning.”
“Students booked their seats in the library and need to be able to access the required resources”, she said. “The website still reflects the availability of seats tonight up until 8pm.”
“It is incredibly disappointed [sic] to see this happen and we will be following up and looking for an explanation from the college and library staff tomorrow.”
Students are set to begin exams next week.
TCDSU President Eoin Hand said on Twitter that students who were unable to get home as a result of their belongings being locked in the library should contact him.
Earlier today, Trinity said that it would clarify by Friday the effects on teaching of new restrictions expected to be introduced by the government in the coming days.
An email – signed by Vice-Provost Jürgen Barkhoff and Secretary to the College John Coman – to staff and students today said that there would likely be further clarification on how new restrictions will affect universities later on Wednesday or Thursday.
The government, the email said, will be meeting tomorrow to discuss new restrictions as the number of coronavirus cases continues to rise rapidly.
In the wake of these new restrictions, Trinity will write to students by the end of the week with details on “how these new measures will affect second semester teaching, exams, assessments, access to the libraries and accommodation as well as research”, the email stated.
