These international students were as always very interested in what the library had to offer them.

Director Marjolein Nieboer told those present in the lobby once again exactly what these house rules are. During the week the users were given beer, sorry water, mats with a summary of the house rules on them in Dutch and English.

Cabinets had also been placed in the lobby containing all the things that had been left behind in the library since 1 January 2012: dozens of USB sticks, gloves, books – even glasses.

There was also a glass tank containing all the cigarette butts that were put out in one week on the rooftop terrace of the University Library – i.e. right next to the rubbish bins.

1. Op Kamers  – 1-3-2012 t/m 29-4-2012
   Studenten – worldwide – gefotografeerd in hun kamer.
2. Carel Victor Gerritsen  – 8-3-2012 t/m 29-4-2012
   Nav uitreiking Aletta Jacobspprijs aan Els Borst : 10 boeken uit deBoekencollectie van CV Gerritsen tijdelijk terug in Nederland
3. Aegir – fototentoonstelling  – 24-5-2012 t/m 19-8-2012
   Hoogtepunten van deze roeivereniging in de afgelopen 100 jaar
4. Marginaal Drukwerk – Hester Verkruissen – 7-9-2012 t/m 26-10-2012
   N.a.v. het overlijden in mei 2012 van deze bibliotheekcollega die naast haar bibliotheekwerkzaamheden ook werkzaam was als  ‘marginale drukker’.
5. Strindberg-experience  -  4-12-2012 t/m 3-1-2013
   N.a.v. het 100^ste sterftejaar van A. Strindberg
6. Marten Toonder  – 3-12-2012 t/m 7-1-2013
   N.a.v. het 100^ste geboortejaar van M. Toonder

Fietsenoverlast bij de UB

Incorrectly parked bicycles are a permanent source of concern during exam periods. Several times in the past year the University has removed – with prior notification and in cooperation with the city council – a large number of incorrectly parked bicycles. Owners could retrieve their confiscated bicycles from the city’s bicycle depot.

We are currently working on the following points: a permanent red carpet at the entrance to the UB, bicycle racks on the street, possible enforcement by University employees, and the clear demarcation of bicycle parking areas. A consultation with a behavioural expert from the Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences has also been planned.
All these measures should lead to improved bicycle parking at the University Library.

The joint experiment with the Academy Building and the Harmonie Complex that began in 2012 will be continued in 2013.

The library disposed of at least 15 mᶾ of unused and obsolete material.

Not everyone was able to participate in the clean-up, so there will definitely be a follow-up in June 2013! The first edition was, all in all, a great success.

Such campaign weeks have a positive albeit temporary effect on the observance of the house rules.

In exam periods, students invariably call for extended opening hours of the library; as a modest response, and because a night like this is a good way to strengthen ties with our users, the UB remained open in the night of 18 to 19 January 2012.

There was a warm welcome in the stairwell by director Marjolein Nieboer, followed by small-scale activities at regular intervals. The library’s thirty-millionth visitor, for instance, was given a festive welcome. Chinese student Lui Xiaowan, who’d never set foot in the UB before, didn’t know what had hit her!

There were still a few hundred students left in the building in the first hours after midnight; the general impression was that students do not want to stay up all night (which would  also affect their concentration during exams), but do want to continue beyond midnight, which is when the library usually closes.

However, a few dozen die-hards stayed all night: forty students stretched their legs during morning gymnastics led by Johan Poppinga, followed by a well-deserved free breakfast in the canteen.