Librarians at Rutgers University and New Jersey’s other public universities are calling for the immediate shutdown of their libraries, as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to sweep through the state.

While college students have largely been sent home as COVID-19 cases grow, their universities are not closed. Some students who cannot leave are still on campus, including medical students and those taking clinical courses. Many food service workers and anyone classified as essential service personnel are not able to work remotely.

And the libraries remain open.

“We have been arguing with Rutgers management for days about closing the libraries, but can no longer wait,” said union vice president Rebecca Givan of the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers at Rutgers, which represents librarians and more than 8,500 other faculty members and graduate students who work at the university.

Givan said her members have been asking questions regarding the safety of people who work in the library from the beginning, and complained that promised cleaning supplies have not arrived and that shared computer surfaces are not being sanitized.

“There are other solutions available for students who might need a laptop to get access to their course work,” she said.

According to Givan, some librarians who have refused to come to work have been harshly reprimanded.

“There’s no justification for keeping the libraries open,” she said. “There’s absolutely no justification.”

Rutgers officials, in response, said the libraries are critical in the university’s ability to meet the directive in Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order mandating all in-person classes at all universities be suspended and converted to online instruction.

“We understand questions have been raised about the decision to keep Rutgers libraries open to our students. The primary reason the libraries are open is that the libraries are essential to educating our students while the university remains open and operating,” said Rutgers spokeswoman Dory Devlin.

She said the university libraries, located across all campuses and throughout the state, provide access to the internet through nearly 1,000 computer terminals.

"Access to the internet through these computers is essential for students who for economic or other reasons do not have access to the internet in their homes,” Devlin said.

Union officials representing New Jersey’s nine other public institutions of higher education also called for the shutdown of university libraries on their campuses, arguing that all faculty and librarians should be allowed to work from off-campus locations, along with all professional staff.

“Working remotely should be the default position, and any exceptions should be made on a case-by-case basis, as necessary, to provide services to the few remaining students on each campus,” said Tim Haresign, who heads the Council of New Jersey State College Locals, representing over 10,000 employees at Ramapo College, William Paterson University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, Kean University, The College of New Jersey, Thomas Edison University, Rowan University, and Stockton University.

Haresign, in a letter to the presidents of all nine schools, said that all faculty and librarians should be allowed to work from off-campus locations, along with all professional staff.

“Working remotely should be the default position, and any exceptions should be made on a case-by-case basis, as necessary, to provide services to the few remaining students on each campus,” he said.

MORE: Keeping up with coronavirus in N.J.: First, don’t panic. Our newsletter might help.

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Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL. Facebook: @TedSherman.reporter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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