After Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University, Kolkata's Jadavpur University has closed down its library access to students in light of increasing COVID cases.
Students of JU believe this will lead to a loss in their academic growth. In a letter addressed to the varsity's Vice-Chancellor, the All India Students' Association (JU Unit) said that keeping libraries open — and ensuring that hostels stay open as they are now — will ensure that students coming from marginalised communities get basic infrastructure to attend online classes.
The students are expecting the hostels and libraries to stay open regardless of any lockdown and be sanitised frequently instead of any blanket closure. JU AISA head Rudra Prabhakar Das said, "The departmental libraries and Central libraries are closed. Though hostels are open, the issue of libraries is also very important for research scholars."
Das, who himself is a research scholar, said that many like him are going through a tough time in terms of academic pursuits as access to archival material is lost owing to the closure. He said, "Owing to the pandemic) We are completing MPhil in three years instead of two years now and the UGC has said that tenure of fellowship would not be extended."
In earlier Edexlive reports, students of JNU as well expressed how the closure of libraries has led to troubles for research scholars. Both JNU and JU students are asking for libraries to remain open in a limited capacity.
