The library asks questions and grants wishes

22 Feb 2023

We appreciate all the suggestions and thank those who participated in the challenge. There were nearly 500 of you, and we have sorted your requests into almost a hundred categories. We have continuously responded to the suggestions in a Facebook album and will continue.

Didn't you get a chance to write to us? You can still find the panel in the lobby; we don't plan to hide it just yet.

Most of you want extended opening hours, namely earlier opening, later closing, or a non-stop night study room. We are delighted that you like spending time in the library so much and are trying to find a possible solution for at least a partial extension.

Another category that was very much discussed was the restrooms. Their condition is not the best after twenty years of operation, and we hope the upcoming renovation will solve the problems. It should take place this summer.

The library also lacks vending machines for food, drinks and other substances. We are trying to offer alternatives to the environment-unfriendly vending machines. You can make yourself tea or coffee on the ground floor in the Quiet Coffee area, fill up cold water, or heat food in Building D. We have added one microwave to the kitchenette in Building D at your request.

Many of your suggestions were about spaces – you especially miss the places for relaxation and group study currently available in the Team Study Rooms and Reading Room. Where your wishes were in opposition was the level of quietness. Some people wanted more silence, while others wanted more tolerance for conversations. We are currently offering a quiet study area in the main library building, in which we ask you to be considerate and not disturb other learners. There are few quiet places for work in general, so we will not be changing this rule.

Opinions are equally divided about the climate in the library - you are feeling both hot and cold here. The building doesn't allow us to influence the temperature much; we have no adjustable air conditioning, only ceiling ventilation on the top floor and centralised heating. We try to keep the air fresh with ventilation, but we know it's not ideal. We are at least offering blankets for those feeling cold.

There have indeed been plenty of suggestions, and we will continue to address them as we go along. If you are concerned that your query still needs to be answered, please contact us via the form.