1.11.12

The Edward Boyle library is coming under fire as students struggle to get hold of the books they need.

High demand reference books on Level 13 of the library continue to be deliberately replaced by students in the wrong sections. This means that other students are unable to locate books that are often essential to their work.

Olivia, a Childhood Studies student, said that she encountered this problem when doing research for one of her essays. She told Leeds Student: “I use the Edward Boyle library regularly, and most of the time it’s really helpful. But sometimes when I’ve looked for books on Level 13 they’re often not where they’re supposed to be. This is problematic for me because not all my books are available online.”

Many students are calling for online copies of all books to be available. Henry, a second-year English student says: “It’s really frustrating because my course is so large and everyone works to the same deadlines. We also often tend to need the same books for essays. Having them online would be really useful.”

The library staff acknowledge that “there is an ongoing problem” and admit that they often find reference books in the wrong sections. Staff were keen to emphasise that they work throughout the day organising books and replacing as many as they can.

The library is only staffed until 5pm Monday-Saturday, but the evenings are still popular for students working in the library and books often go missing in this time.

Students also believe that another of the reasons the level 13 reference section has proved to be such an issue is because books can be taken anywhere inside the library. This differs from the high demand section where books must be checked out so students and staff can track the books.

Words: Isabel Alderson Blench

Photo: Lucy Snow