An interview with Interim University Librarian Sabrina Wong
Written by Xiadany Jeanette Lopez Hernandez (she/her) // News Writer
Visuals by Sophia Filsoofi (she/any) // Contributor
“I do hear complaints from students,”
said Parnit Kaur, the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) Vice President External, at the CSU’s Board of Directors meeting on October 16. She was referring to the library closing at 6 p.m. instead of 8 p.m. as it did last term. Three years ago, the CSU successfully advocated for 24-hour library access during the final exam period.
According to a CSU staff member involved with this advocacy goal at the time, the university even considered keeping the library open 24/7 beyond exam periods once the new on-campus residence was open, since some potential shared costs like security made it more feasible. With the university’s current financial situation, however, current advocacy efforts are less ambitious.
Kaur explained that because some classes end after 8 p.m., students sometimes need the resources available at the library, such as computers, calculators, books or chargers. Kaur also said she raised the issue of the reduced library hours during last month’s meeting with the university executive. Dr. Vicki St. Pierre, the new provost and vice-president academic, explained to Kaur that the measure was a response to the university’s current financial situation. According to Kaur, after she raised additional concerns about students in 8 p.m. classes, St. Pierre said she was “working on that.”
Interim University Librarian Sabrina Wong, expressed in an interview with the Courier that the library staff’s main goal is to support students in their academic journey. The library encourages students to share any concerns or opinions through their online form or the suggestion box in the front desk. She also wants students to know the library has more resources than just the ones offered in-person on campus. One of the resources available is an online help chat where librarians can answer questions from students. She emphasizes that this chat is 100 per cent answered by humans as they know it is important for students to have that “authentic connection.”
Wong also explained how “the institution is in the process of reviewing programs and services as part of this deficit mitigation and this really long-term sustainability planning.” In other words, the change in the library schedule is something that university administration decided based on the fiscal realities facing the school. The reduced visitation rate of students to the library is noted in the President’s Report to the Board, which is in line with the decrease in enrolment the university is facing.
The library is still a space students frequent, especially during September when new students need help adapting to their classes. Wong confirmed that “since the changing hours, we’ve probably seen the traffic that we would expect at the beginning of the fall term with lots of students using our library.”
When asked if this change of schedule has affected the workload of the staff, Wong reassured that even though it is busy, the library staff is working on giving each student the best experience possible and the support they need. She also mentioned “[they’ve] been working with the provost’s office and we’re hoping to move forward with a plan to meet these needs.”
She explained it was too early to share any details but confirmed that as soon as they had any news, students would be the first ones to know. Wong encouraged students to be in the mailing list from the library to make sure they don’t miss any updates.
So far there is no confirmation the new schedule will continue during the spring term since decisions are in part informed by the feedback they receive. “Whenever we make decisions about this in our library operations, we are always looking at student feedback and we are also always looking at library use data, which we collect, like wondering, you know, when are people in the library, what kind of services people are using.”
Wong emphasized how important it is for the library to support students, and how the library staff is more than willing to hear what students need. She said “we’re always open to talking with students and learning more from students about their experience and how we can support the learning.” and they are working to find ways to fulfill those expectations.