The Taylor Family Digital Library (TFDL) at the University of Calgary is planning to install Unicard access gates, which will restrict access to the library for non UCalgary members, and cause more problems for its active members. While this action would prioritize library use for UCalgary members, this decision has sparked outrage among students, faculty members, and staff who believe that the implementation of these gates will be incredibly problematic.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, and up until the end of April 2023, the Taylor Family Digital Library put in place a temporary "check-in" desk, which checked for individuals Unicards to ensure only UCalgary members were accessing the library. This check-in desk was harshly criticized during the 2022-2023 academic year, as non-active UCalgary members (Alumni & Community) were still allowed access. This created confusion and frustration among the UCalgary community, with individuals constantly asking "what is the point of this desk?" 

While the primary goal of these gates is believed to limit access for non-active UCalgary members, the cons of their implementation vastly outweigh the pros. The proposed gate system will result in a largly more restricted space, even when compared to previously disapproved check-in desk. Students, faculty, and staff would be required to scan their Unicards for access to the Taylor Family Digital Libraries spaces and resources. Additionally, many students who start university in September do not have their Unicard yet, and sometimes must wait up to two weeks to receive it. This means the Taylor Family Digital Library may be temporarily inaccessible for a large population of first year students. 

An additional argument in favor of the gates claims they will allow for more after hours access to the TFDL, as we have not seen 24hr access outside of exam periods since 2019. The after hours access granted during recent exam periods was possible through the cooperation of Campus Security, and by giving students card access to the building. Has the possibility of implementing this for whole semesters even been considered? Furthermore the library has shown it has no issue employing an impractical service desk for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 8 months. When using a student starting wage of $17.58, the check in desk easily costed over $20,000 to employ for the 2022/2023 academic year. Could that money not have been used to employ student workers in more beneficial roles, or to provide a more permanent 24hr building access?

What is now an open, welcoming building for all members of UCalgary and its community, may soon become restricted, and cramped, creating an undesirable environment on campus. Help us stop the addition of these gates and keep our library ours.