Closed reading rooms and long lines at the libraries: - I don’t understand the logic
Universitas has been to Deichman Bjørvika and talked to students who would rather be studying in the university reading rooms.
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– When we first got here, we had to stand up there, Andrea Grimnes (22) says and points to some tall tables. There were no seats available, so she and her study buddy Maximillian Smith (28) had to stand while writing on their laptops.
They kept an eye out for empty seats from the tall tables, and as soon as something became available, they were quick to fill them.
– Yes, I had to run. I took my book, and just ran and threw the book on the table, Grimnes says and laughs.
– It was very comical. It was only seconds before someone else took the seat, Smith says.
When asked what they think of the closed reading rooms, it went from jokes to serious.
– Boo! Smith yells.
– Yeah, we don’t like that at all, the friend adds.
Both Grimnes and Smith study at the University of Oslo (UiO). They study social anthropology and culture and communication respectively.
– It’s awful. It’s destructive sitting at home, both for mental health, daily studies, and motivation. It almost feels like we’re still on holiday, because I’m not studying at home. I’m so unmotivated when I’m not around people, Smith says.
– Many study stuff that’s a bit depressing in large quantities. Then it’s especially important to have someone to talk to about it. When you sit and read alone, it just gets sad, but when you share it with someone, it turns into engagement. Then it can become something positive, and that’s so important. But that’s not possible now that campus is closed, Grimnes says.
— More crowded here than at Oslomet
Grimnes and Smith are not alone in being dissatisfied over closed reading rooms. The majority of the students Universitas spoke to at Deichman Bjørvika expressed frustration over lack of space and long lines at Deichman.
In a staircase further down are students Vera Van Dijk (22) and Marie Bøttinger (27). They both study social work at Oslomet.
– I don’t completely understand the logic behind the closed reading rooms, Van Dijk says.
– Yes, there is greater infection pressure and it is more crowded here than at Oslomet. There were many empty seats and proper distance between people at Oslomet, Bøttinger says.
Van Dijk and Bøttinger also had to fight for seats at the library.
– We almost didn’t get seats, which is why we ended up just sitting here, Vera says and points to a staircase-resembling seat without a table next to her.
– But why can’t you sit at home instead?
– I’m only going to say one thing, and that is that I live in a 20m2 apartment, Van Dijk says.
– Yes, I usually sit at home, and it’s a strain on my mental health. This is practically the first time I’ve been outside in a month, Bøttinger says.
Deichman: — Happy to help
Knut Skansen, library manager at Deichman, tells Universitas that they have, since the fall, seen a significant increase in the number of students at the libraries.
– We have felt the effect of the restricted services of the universities and schools. From September last year we saw a clear shift in audience at the libraries, especially at Bjørvika, of more students discovering Deichman, he says.
On average, between 6,000 and 7,000 people visit the Deichman libraries in Oslo every day. Almost half of them go to Bjørvika.
– When we re-opened Wednesday last week, we quickly returned to the number of visitors we had the entire fall, the library manager says.
– Several students complain about lack of space at the libraries. For example, some have had to stand and wait a long time to then run towards a seat when it becomes available. What do you think of this?
– Yes, that’s kind of the way things are these days. It is full at Bjørvika most of the time, and I have been informed that the same applies to the local libraries. We are the only cultural service that is allowed to stay open now, so it’s a scarce good, Skansen says.
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He then says that he has great sympathy for the students.
– It must be a very difficult situation to have to sit at home and read day after day, without access to the resources and reading rooms you usually have. So, we are very happy to help with that situation, he says.
