The San Diego City College Library is back open and eager to assist students. 

Although the number of students visiting is increasing each day, the library has not yet reached its COVID-19-limited capacity of 50 students at a time, according to senior media clerk Randy Juarez.

Part of that has to do with the limited number of students on campus, but awareness is another key issue.

“The problem is that a lot of students don’t know we’re open,” Juarez said.

The library is open to students from City, Mesa and Miramar colleges from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday.

Students have to register to enter, but Juarez said they can walk students through the process when they arrive if need be.

Juarez and several other Learning Resource Center employees had a booth at today’s Student Project & Research Symposium, touting the library’s many resources, some of which may surprise students.

In addition to books and ebooks, the library offers free Wi-Fi, study rooms, computer stations, periodicals, certain course textbooks and the librarians themselves – who can help students identify and locate the information or resources they need.

“We’re trying to give them a little extra,” Juarez said.

During the pandemic, the library was closed to the public, but Juarez said that didn’t mean they stopped working to help students.

As learning went online, the library loaned around 300 laptops and hotspots to students who needed those resources.

The library, which saw around 3,000 students a day prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, has been trying to figure out what they can do to draw students back in now that they’ve reopened. They’re also seeking to give the students that do come a little extra in the form of water bottles and welcome bags for first-time visitors.

“We try to engage with students but especially those who aren’t back on campus, it’s like, ‘what do they need?’” said Temmy Najimy, the administrative assistant to the Learning Resource Center’s Dean.

By all accounts, the workers of City’s library are happy to be back.

“I enjoy seeing the students and being able to engage,” Najimy said.

Juarez agreed.

“I’m smiling inside this mask,” he said with a chuckle. “We’re all glad to be back in the library and helping our students once again.”