Hutchins Library News Blog

Library Access and Use Policies During COVID-19: Things to know

As students arrive on campus as well as faculty and employees who may have been working remotely and are now returning for fall, they will notice things are quite different than back in March before COVID-19 hit. This post is to provide an overview of library policies and expectations in light of the COVID-19 situation.

Access to the library

Hutchins Library is on Berea College ID card access only. Library is accessible during library operating hours, which are as follows for Fall 2020:

Sunday: 3pm to 10pm

Monday through Thursday: 9am to 10pm

Friday: 9am to 5pm

Saturday: CLOSED

Exceptions: Monday August 10 and Tuesday August 11: 9am to 5pm

Access is limited to the following:

• Enrolled Berea College students who are living in campus housing or Eco-village and Berea College students living in town and enrolled in non-distance learning classes.
• Faculty and Staff of Berea College.
• NO VISITORS ALLOWED in the library.
• If you fall within the above categories and your ID will not permit entrance, call public safety at 859-985-3333. We would appreciate if you please do not knock on our doors. Call Public Safety if you fall in the access categories and your ID does not allow you access.

Policies and required expectations inside the library

• Facial covering/masks must always be worn inside the library.
• Do not move the chairs nor the furniture. They have been placed to allow for proper social distancing.
• Only one person per table is allowed. The tables have blue tape on them to indicate placement of the chairs.
• No food or drink are allowed in the library, except for bottled water. You are welcome to bring in your own water bottle and use the water bottle filling stations in the library. Please note the regular water fountains are closed/sealed off.
  • Due to this, the vending area is closed and not available inside the library.
• The Third Floor of the library is closed for use. If you need to have books and materials from the third floor, please ask at the Circulation or Reference Desks, and a library staff member can pull materials for you to check out.
• Library study rooms are closed until further notice. No study room keys will be checked out.
• If you take a book or material from a shelf in the main floor or lower level, please do not reshelve it. Just leave it on one of the designated carts available next to the shelves. Any books touched/used need to be quarantine for 72 hours before they can return to the shelf. So use any materials you wish, just do not reshelve them.

Some additional notes to keep in mind

• Reference librarians are happy to help. They may be in their offices. You are welcome to drop by and get assistance. If we are in our office, we may have the door closed; in that case, we may have a note on our door to knock if we are here (some librarians may be working remotely). Please knock on the door, and please make sure you have your mask on before we open the door. Our offices are our refuge, so we will most likely not be wearing our mask inside our office. You knocking on our door can give us time to put our mask on before can assist you. Outside of our offices, we are required to wear our face masks as well.
• The Circulation and Reference Desks have plexiglass. Please do not go around the plexiglass. There is also a tape in the ground marking social distance for requests. We would appreciate you help us keep social distance as much as we can.
• For more information, you can check out Hutchins Library Library Guide on COVID-19 response. The guide reiterates the above as well as provides additional information. If you click on the Reference tab, you can get information on our virtual services that include online chat as well as virtual reference consultations.