Library Services 2020/2021

LIBRARY AND STUDY FACILITIES AT RCSI: Academic Year 2020-21                

Overview
Ordinarily students can use RCSI libraries at either Beaumont or St Stephen’s Green campuses.

However, these are not ordinary times and complying with public health guidance on social distancing impacts the amount and availability of all spaces in RCSI such as lab, teaching, gym, restaurant and social spaces as well as library and study spaces. Library study space has decreased by 60-80% across sites because of government regulations. 

To increase the availability of study spaces beyond the libraries, RCSI has identified and fitted out additional study environments in all RCSI campuses and the following access principles apply to both these and library study spaces.

For academic year 2020/21, students are strongly encouraged to use their own accommodation and their designated home-rooms as primary study spaces and to view library and other study spaces as supplementary study environments.
 

Principles of Access to Study Spaces

• There will be no ad hoc use of library and other designated study spaces.  Instead, access will be timetabled and you will be able to book a seat for a scheduled time using an online seat booking system (StudyTime). 
• The new booking system is now available for booking spaces in Ardilaun Block B and should be used for time slots in York St and Beaumont Hospital from 27th October.
• StudyTime is available from https://booking.library.rcsi.ie/ and will only show available times and locations for your Learning Community in the next two days.
• You will have access to study spaces only at your designated home campus location, i.e., Stephens Green, Beaumont Hospital, Croke Park and Connolly Hospital. 
• Your study space will be available only with your designated learning community or group at the designated times, i.e., there will be no mixing of student groups in study environments. This is to minimise the risk of infection and to limit any infection to a subset of any class or year. 
• Your lecture home-room is also a study space when not used for teaching and you are encouraged to use it at the designated times for your learning community.
• All study spaces will close at 21:00 or 22:00 hours, i.e., there will be no extended hours at any location.

Guidelines for Using RCSI Study Environments
Study environments are a shared communal resources.  We have a shared responsibility to maintain safety measures when using these spaces to protect student health and wellbeing. You should: 

• Only visit the study environments if your Learning Community has been timetabled to attend these spaces.  If you have any COVID-19 symptoms please do not come into these spaces. 
• Observe 2m physical distancing by using the designated seats in the study environments and keep to the one way systems, entrance/exit guidelines. 
• Adhere to the clean in/clean out policy when using study spaces.  Use the cleaning kits to disinfect your workspace before you sit down to study and again when you are leaving the space. 
• Wear a face covering at all times. 
• Maintain good hygiene practices – respiratory/cough etiquette, regular hand washing and using hand sanitiser in between. 
• Take all personal belongings and materials with you when leaving the communal study environments. 
• Return library materials to designated areas within the study environments.  Leave the seat when your booked time is up and do not reserve it by leaving personal belongings or any other means.
• Take regular breaks and leave the area after two hours for a minimum of 15 minutes to get fresh air.

Mercer Medical Centre Information for RCSI Students