University adding study spaces to keep First Years out of Library?

The University has announced increased study spaces for the exam period, and it seems they really don’t want Freshers on campus.

According to the iSoton blog, the increase is “to allow students to study a bit closer to home”, and they expect students to “use the study spaces in their own halls”.

These locations include:

Bencraft Room G: 06:00 – midnight
Connaught common room: 06:00 – midnight
Erasmus Park common room: 06:00 – midnight
Gateley common room: 06:00 – midnight
Glen Eyre common room (above the bar): 06:00 – midnight
Highfield Halls (dining hall): weekdays 10:00 – 17:00 and 20:00 – midnight; weekends 14:00 – midnight
Mayflower B common room: 06:00 – midnight

This appears to be a response to the longstanding issue of workspace congestion, freeing up campus locations for second and third years.

The University seems to be doing everything it can to tackle this ongoing issue of not having enough space, including cracking down on people who save desks.

The library is now placing orange slips on saved desks, noting the current time and stating that if the desk remains unattended for 30 minutes, another library user may take over the desk space.

The University has also introduced tools to help locate available workstations, for anyone still struggling to find a computer.

We all know revision, essays and exams can be very stressful. The University has compiled a list of support services that they offer. Check it out here.

What do you think of this move? Are first years as entitled to use the library as third years? Let us know in the comments below.