Question marks

When will the Library building reopen?

As of September 13, the main Library and Music Library are fully reopen for UCSB students, faculty, staff, and community members.

What precautions are you taking to protect Library users?

All faculty and staff members, students, and visitors to campus are required to wear face masks in all shared indoor spaces. The Library will provide face coverings to Library users and staff as needed. Hand sanitizer stations and disinfectant wipes are placed throughout the building.
 

Health guards such as plexiglass and physical barriers have been installed at operational service points in the Library. These barriers as well as high touch surfaces such as elevator buttons and door handles are being cleaned frequently by facilities management.  

How is the Library managing its indoor air quality?

The Library building has 15 total large air handling units, all of which are fitted with filters rated at a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 15. These filters are the same filters used in hospital inpatient care spaces and they remove at least 99.97% of airborne particles down to the size of 0.3 microns. MERV 13 and higher are recommended for COVID-19. 

Can I print in the Library? 

The Library’s GauchoPrint stations and KIC scanners are available for users. For issues with GauchoPrint, please contact LSIT at help@lsit.ucsb.edu or 805-893-HELP(4357). To report printer or KIC scanner maintenance issues, you may contact us at copyservices@library.ucsb.edu for assistance.

Can I return my books?

All external book drops are open for book returns, including the ones at the Main Library Paseo West and Paseo East entrances as well as the Music Library entrance. 

If I'm no longer in the Santa Barbara area, can I return my books by mail?

Yes. If you are out of town and cannot return your Library materials to the book returns on campus, you can mail them back or send them via a courier such as UPS or Federal Express, to the following address:

Services Desk / UCSB Library
525 University Center Rd.
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9010

Be sure to include a prominent note with the books (or on the ILL book straps, if ILL material): "Please check in."

As with other return methods, returned books may remain on your library account longer than usual as we have limited staff in the buildings to process them.

What if my books are overdue?

The Library is no longer extending due dates on all loans; please check your Library Account for your due dates. Please email library-circ@ucsb.edu if you have questions.

If I purchased a Community Card, will I get a refund? 

We cannot refund Community Cards because those payments are made to the UC Board of Regents, but we will extend the card privileges after we reopen to the public for the outstanding amount of time that the patron was entitled to when we closed.

 


If you have questions about the building reopening that aren’t answered here, please Ask a Librarian.

This article last updated on 9/13/2021