I am an international student who used to study in England and in Wales. I am writing to ask about the unclean library at my current university in Wales. All computers have not been cleaned since the purchase. Keyboards are very dirty. Students are allowed to consume food in front of the computers. Desks are not cleaned too. Only rubbish is taken away regularly. Do you have similar experience with your libraries at universities?

Are there any financial cuts in Wales that prevents from cleaning libraries and also other places for postgraduate students? I used to study at university libraries in England, and every desk, every window was polished twice a day.

Do you have the same feelings?
CC

I work mainly at two university libraries in the Midlands, one an ex-poly and one a high-ranking Russell group university. Both have computers that are rarely cleaned and students eat over them regularly. The keyboards are filthly. I have never seen a cleaner in either of them.

I don't think it is Wales that has this problem - it is libraries generally that don't recognise that computers need frequent cleaning.

Hi Student 1234

Basicaly people shouldn't be allowed to eat at University, or any other library computers. It's very unhygenic.

Are there any notices up in the library pointing this out?

Angelette8-)

Is this the normal thing that you can bring food into libraries in the UK?

Here in central Europe it's totally forbidden. You can't even bring a drink in the hot summer.

It's not normal at either of my two local universities in Scotland. There are cafes in both libraries, but students are not to eat food or drink in other parts of the libraries.

Hmmm, I was in Scotland and am now in Wales. It depends on which computer lab you're in where I am now- most of the ones with the new really smart computers in are quite strictly monitored for people eating and drinking and are kept very clean, but some of the others (like some of the 24hr ones) are a bit less well regulated, although there are signs up saying that no food must be eaten and that only screw-top bottles of water are allowed anywhere near the computers. I can't say I noticed any difference between the two unis to be honest- nothing has been so horribly dirty that I have actually noticed! Maybe I just have low standards lol! Best, KB