Beginning this week, the University of Oregon Libraries has reopened its doors to UO students, faculty members and staff.
As part of the university’s COVID-19 mitigation efforts, the buildings had been closed to everyone but essential libraries staff during the preceding spring and summer terms.
“Our library employees are excited to have our doors open after six months and to carefully and cautiously welcome everyone back,” said Susan Breakenridge, assistant dean for administrative services with the libraries.
For fall term, the Knight Library and all other library branches will be operating under adjusted hours and some service modifications. All library users are required to have a current, active UO ID for entry. Face coverings will be required in all library buildings, and eating is not allowed to help reduce the spread of the virus.
For those with UO ID, services such as book checkout, interlibrary loan pickup, computer workstations and reserved study rooms are once again accessible on site. Other library services — including reference services, data management and workshops — will continue as remote or online offerings through the fall. All open library locations will provide access to printers, copiers and scanners, although some equipment remains off line due to physical distancing protocols.
“This blended model of remote and on-site offerings allows us to provide our students with the things that can help make them successful if they are working on campus or remotely,” Breakenridge said. “We are also continuing our pickup window operations to help those who are on or near campus, who aren’t as comfortable coming into the building.”
In accordance with UO COVID-19 regulations, seating throughout the libraries has been modified to accommodate six feet of physical distancing. Study rooms in the Knight Library, Portland Library and Price Science Commons will be limited to individual use only. Reservations for the Knight Library will open during week three of the term; reservations for spaces in the Portland Library and Price Science Commons are available now.
While most library locations will be open, the hours of operation have been scaled back to accommodate enhanced cleaning protocols. The Math Library has been temporarily closed, and access to the Jaqua Law Library will be limited to law school students and faculty members only.
In the Knight Library, the DREAM Lab, IDEA Space, Douglass Room, Browsing Room and Edmiston Classroom are closed for the term. Special Collections and University Archives will resume operations by appointment only, beginning Oct. 5. Library users may continue to use the Knight Library pickup window for materials requested in advance.
More information about fall term access and hours of operation is available at the UO Libraries’ website and summarized in a welcome-back video.
—By Jason Stone, University Communications