As the largest academic library in Canada, Robarts boasts comprehensive collections, plentiful resources and sought-after study spaces. Despite its nausea-inducing lighting and dungeon-like architecture, Robarts remains a popular study spot on campus. But, with all the traffic it attracts, a good library knows that gatekeeping knowledge from the masses is of the utmost importance. To keep out any member of the greater public hoping to gain some critical consciousness from a good book, swiping your T-card and making prolonged eye contact with security is imperative before entry. Today, Boundary intel reported a new security change: shoe removal upon entry.
Guests have also been asked to empty water bottles, remove electronics from their bags and present forms of ID besides their T-Card. The community, out of confusion over the new rules, requested an explanation from staff. A member of the security team gave the following statement: “We take safety very seriously, and we would not want to allow access to learning to those who are undeserving. The possibility that an outsider could enter at any moment and sneak a glance at a rare book is a risk we are not willing to take. Any student unwilling to remove their shoes upon entry will not have the ability to sign out books, use the printer, or wait in line at Starbucks for forty minutes.”
Students have had mixed reviews on the new policy; “I was fine with it until I was asked to do a ‘random strip search,’” said a third-year engineering student. Another student, a fourth-year marketing major, commented, “What’s Robarts?” The Boundary regrets to report that this new policy marks a step back from collective liberation through education. As for the effectiveness of these new guidelines, only time will tell.
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