University of Bristol students frustrated over limited library space across campus

Exam season has well and truly hit Bristol University this week, meaning more people than ever are trying to find a space to study each day.

However, this has led to many issues across all of the university libraries, resulting in a lack of seating available.

The university only has one library available 24 hours a day, the Arts and Social Sciences Library (ASSL). This has led to much student frustration, as many are unable to grab a desk to complete assignments.

The Bristol Tab took to Instagram to gather student opinions on this matter. A massive 93 per cent of people who voted said that they have been struggling to find appropriate study spaces recently.

The main responses from students expressed frustration that others use personal items to reserve seats, in some cases for hours on end.

One student told The Bristol Tab she wishes the uni would “put an end to reserving a seat by putting your stuff down and leaving for hours at a time.”

Daisy Wild, a Bristol Uni master’s student, said: “I’m doing a master’s, paying 10k plus bench fees and have nowhere to study! I have endless work.”

Another added, “We’re paying nine grand for one 24/7 library, and study spaces that can’t fit everyone.”

Abi, a Bristol Uni student, posted to TikTok showing people having to sit on the floor to study, as the only 24-hour library was full.

@abiistokess

definitely not procrasting doing my work #uni #bristol #uob

♬ 16 Carriages – Beyoncé Base 𐚁

Many in the comments agreed with the creator, with one saying: “You’ve gotta go at 7am this time of year or just not bother at all.”

Another joked, “People bag asslib seats like they’re deckchairs on holiday.”

Most Read

Squid Game creator defends casting choice for Thanos following backlash towards his acting

The real-life event that inspired main character Gi-hun’s entire story in Squid Game

This wild theory about Player 001 in Squid Game has completely blown my mind

A few responses mentioned the university producing a website to track available seats. While this type of system is already in place, many students also shared their irritation with its reliability. One student wrote: “Uni library find a study seat wasn’t working, just had ‘???’ instead of the number of seats.”

Students were mainly in agreement that the best time to find a seat is anytime before 10am, and anytime after begins to be challenging.

One suggested “around 7pm when everyone leaves for dinner”, whilst another said 2am is the optimal time to nab a seat in the ASSL. However, having to wait until the middle of the night is unrealistic for many people.

In response to these claims, a spokesperson from the University of Bristol said: “We are experiencing a high volume of demand for our library study seats in this revision week. We have eight libraries and four study centres with over 3,600 study seats. There are a further 2,500 study seats within faculties and around 1,400 in the residencies.

“To support students finding a space in our libraries, we have introduced a study seat finder which gives an indication of availability and is updated hourly where possible. Study seats are a shared resource, and we would ask that students release them if they are not being used, unless they are taking a short break.”

Featured image via @abiistokess on TikTok.