Those wishing to study in the UB have to search for a seat at the crack of dawn
Students are finding it difficult to secure a study space in the new University Library (UB). They complain about a lack of space and about seats being occupied for long periods without anyone actually using them. “It’s just like being on holiday, with people putting down their towels to reserve a spot.”
It is exam week, and by the middle of a weekday afternoon there are virtually no seats left to be found in the UB. The building is popular and, according to many students, an improvement over its predecessor on the Singel in most respects, but the very appeal of the brand-new building also appears to be its Achilles’ heel. The extreme busyness and the shortage of study spaces that come with the building’s popularity are causing growing dissatisfaction among students.
As a result, attempts to secure a study space regularly prove futile for those who did not get up early enough, students say. Videos circulating on TikTok, showing students queuing outside the building in the morning –just before it opens – in a bid to be among the first to get in, seem to confirm this image.
Petition
Earlier, dissatisfaction over the number of study spaces already led to a petition launched by activist group De Reaksie, calling on the UvA to address the problem of the “overcrowded library”. So far, the petition has been signed 468 times.
And anyone who takes a look around the building will indeed find that it takes a long time before an available seat is found. On both the first and second floors of the library, students searching for an empty chair are left disappointed. Or rather: there are plenty of empty chairs, but the problem is that study spaces are frequently kept occupied by coats. In several study rooms, more than half of the chairs are reserved in this way.
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Communication Science student Hannah Bennett (26) recognises the phenomenon, she says, pointing at the row of empty but “reserved” chairs next to her. “My friends have just stepped out to get something to eat, but they won’t be gone for long,” she says apologetically. “Of course, you need to be able to take a break, but it does happen that chairs are left empty for a really long time. In Germany, where I’m from, universities work with a kind of parking permit to address this problem. If you’re away for more than half an hour, your belongings are removed. It’s not pleasant, but it does work.”
The heavy crowds in the library mean that Bennett does not always manage to find a spot: “Because of the limited space, you really have to be there early. Before nine o’clock, if you want to be sure. It does happen that I end up going back home because I can’t find a place. I get the feeling this is now a bigger problem than in the old library, everyone is complaining about it.”
Packed
Steven Eble (24), a Quantitative Finance student, is also affected by the crowds. “Even today it took me a while to find a spot, but especially during the busier exam weeks, at the end of a longer teaching block, you can forget about it if you arrive late. Then it’s absolutely packed in here.”
“I think everyone just really wants to see the inside of this building,” he continues, “because this is, after all, the nicest study spot in Amsterdam. But that also means there are too few spaces. It’s just like being on holiday, with people putting down their towels to reserve a spot, you really don’t want that.”
Extra spaces
In response, the UvA states that the UB is indeed heavily used, especially right before exams and major deadlines. “That’s nothing new, but it’s something we continuously monitor and respond to. During exam periods, we therefore open extra study spaces. In the UB, for example, teaching rooms are made available as study areas, and the Faculty of Humanities is also making an effort to provide temporary additional spaces in the city centre,” a spokesperson says.
Through the Spacefinder app, students can see which locations are available for study. “We are also currently exploring whether the app can show exactly where available spots are in the UB.” In addition, the UvA says it is tightening its access policy to ensure that study spaces remain available for students.
