The University Library (UB) is considering closing its Zernike branch due to cost concerns, although study spaces and studios would remain available.
The services of the UB Zernike (UBZ) are being used less frequently, yet staffing needs remain the same, the heads of library support and research support wrote in a recommendation to UB management. As a result, personnel costs are relatively high, while the UB is facing significant budget cuts. Additionally, scheduling staff has become increasingly difficult.
Declining demand
UBZ is primarily used by students and staff from the Faculty of Spatial Sciences (FSS), the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), and the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE). It provides study spaces, studios, and an open book collection that includes mandatory course literature, reference works, monographs, and printed journals.
‘The role of the library and the necessity for a physical staff presence are diminishing’, the department heads write. A large portion of the collection is available online, and the borrowing of physical books has been steadily declining—from 5,286 loans in 2017 to 1,780 in 2024. Borrowing and returning books are now primarily done via self-service, further reducing the demand for counter support.
Relocating the collection
Meanwhile, the staffing costs for both regular employees and student assistants at UB amount to over 168,000 euros annually, with around 38,000 euros being contributed by the Zernike faculties in 2024.
The department heads therefore propose closing the library desk and relocating the collection to another site, such as the city centre or the Zernike storage facility. Borrowing and returning books would no longer be possible, but study spaces might be expanded.
Small steps
Whether these plans will go ahead will be decided in the coming months. ‘In March, the faculty boards of FEB and FSS will make their decision, followed by an advisory opinion from the UB employees’ council’, says UB director Marjolein Nieboer.
The practical details still need to be worked out, but if the plan proceeds, the downsizing will happen in small steps. Staff currently working at UBZ will be reassigned, likely to the UB in the city centre. When asked about potential job losses, Nieboer stated that one employee is set to retire later this year and will not be replaced.