U of A announces second library closure in two months

Edmonton — The U of A announced via “The Quad” that the HT Coutts Library, found in the Education building, would be closing effective immediately, citing “the new realities of budget restrictions”. The Winspear Business Library was closed on May 1st.

The post, made by Chief Librarian Dale Askey, explained that despite the closure, the U of A Library would continue to fulfill the their role in research and teaching at the university, and that services already available online would continue uninterrupted, and that the services that were made available in the Coutts Library would still be made available at their other locations.

Frequently used items in the education collection has been tentatively planned to be located in the Rutherford North Library, with no word yet on where the rest of the material would be stored.

The library was used primarily by the Faculty of Education and Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation (KSR). There is no word yet on what will happen with the former library space.

The closure comes after the U of A 2020 budget that was approved in late March outlined different measures that would need to be taken in order to reduce costs after cuts in funding were handed down by the Alberta Government.