On Sept. 21, an email was sent by Stacey Robertson, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, to update students on available campus study spaces to be utilized during the construction of Milne Library. The email also mentions that Fraser Hall Library will be opening soon.
According to Robertson, there is not an exact date announced for the opening of Fraser Library. The date is upcoming, and students will be notified via email when it will happen.
“With the pandemic, it is challenging … but we are hopeful it will happen before students head out for Thanksgiving,” Robertson said. “Students can find more information on the Geneseo website under the Library Service Updates Section.”
There will be a limit on the number of students allowed in the library at one time, according to Robertson. That number has not yet been determined, but students should anticipate it to be much less than that of Milne Library.
Currently, common areas and classrooms in academic buildings are available for students to utilize as study space during regular building hours. The hours for Bailey and Brodie Halls have been extended until 1 a.m. Monday through Thursday, according to the email.
The College requires that students wear masks, practice social distancing in these spaces and respect the building hours so that the custodial staff can clean and sanitize the study areas for subsequent use.
“If these rules cannot be followed, then study spaces will have to be closed,” Robertson said.
According to Robertson, the lack of mask wearing and students not following guidelines resulted in the closure of the booths in Bailey.
“Right now, the primary goal of the school is to focus on education while making sure that students are safe. New expectations and guidelines can be found in an email from the Chancellor,” Robertson said.
Robertson added that, overall, the administration is finding creative solutions to ensure that students have plenty of study spaces. The email continued, saying that as long as students practice proper social distancing and wear masks the administration will keep doing their best to ensure that there is no shortage of available study spaces.
“My goal is to make sure folks have good spaces to study,” Robertson said. “I encourage people to keep studying outside as long as the weather stays nice.”