UTRGV libraries are closed indefinitely but have made themselves accessible to all students by offering their services online.
The libraries were open for about two weeks after Spring Break but closed on April 6 in accordance with the order issued by the City of Edinburg requiring all residents to wear protective facial coverings over their mouth and nose.
An email sent to the university community April 6 by UTRGV’s Marketing and Communications states that while students, faculty and staff may still access campus, if necessary. However, the libraries will be closed effective immediately.
Before the closure, students were still permitted to study in the libraries as long as they followed social-distancing guidelines.
“During that time, we closed off various classrooms and study rooms throughout the building,” said Paul Sharpe, dean of Libraries for UTRGV. “And [we] removed chairs and keyboards, and mice from certain computers to enact social distancing throughout the building.
“We made sure that while the building stayed open, we tried to limit contact between staff and students, [and] enforce the social-distancing space between students.”
Between 50 and 75 students were still accessing the library in Edinburg on a daily basis and between 30 and 50 in Brownsville, according to Sharpe.
While students are prohibited from entering the library at this time, they can still acquire online resources without having to go in person.
“All of our electronic resources and databases are available to any student from anywhere, if you are in the [Rio Grande] Valley, at home,” Sharpe said. “Frankly, if you have an internet connection on the moon, you could still get to our resources.
“You have no access to physical materials or any other of the equipment that we check out.”
Students can retrieve documents and research from the library’s collections, databases, eBooks, and catalogs.
They are not allowed to rent or turn in books into the library, ensuring that there is less contact between students and employees. The library has extended all due dates and has ensured that there are no late fines or student blocks during this time period.
Services that require a student to go in person, such as poster printing, reserving study rooms and printing have been suspended until further notice.
The libraries want to ensure they can help make the experience easier for students.
“We would love to have student feedback on things,” Sharpe said. “We feel like we would like to really help make the online experience better if we can. … We want to try to be responsive to that.”
For more information, visit https://www.utrgv.edu/library/index.htm.
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