As students settle in for the semester, many still live on or near campus where a limited number of amenities remain open. We’ve compiled a list of campus buildings and facilities and their accessibility this semester.
Libraries
All libraries are operating under reduced capacity and by appointment through the Emory Libraries website. Undergraduate and graduate students can schedule multiple appointments per day, with time limits differing between each library.
Campus-wide library capacity has reduced by nearly 75%, according to Lars Meyer, associate dean of access and resource services for Emory Libraries. Signage reminding visitors to follow protocols and demarcating blocked seating to allow for appropriate distancing are in place in all facilities.
The Robert W. Woodruff Library allows a maximum booking length of three hours per day and the Health Sciences Center Library allows a maximum of six hours per day booked in two-hour time slots. The Pitts Theology Library appointments are in 90-minute intervals and Hugh F. Macmillan Law Library appointments are in two-hour intervals, with no cutoff time set for either library.
Below are hours of operation for campus libraries:
Robert W. Woodruff Library: Monday through Thursday 7:30 a.m. to midnight, Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to midnight.
Health Sciences Center Library: Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Hugh F. Macmillan Law Library: Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday noon to 6 p.m. The library is only open to law students. A maximum of 50 students are permitted in the library at the same time per University and CDC health and safety protocols.
Pitts Theology Library: Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
In the Woodruff Library, floors one and two are for undergraduate use only, with the third floor only for graduate students, Woodruff Library Facilities Manager Marc Hardison said. Floors four through eight are closed entirely, although Hardison said the library is considering opening limited appointment-only study spaces on these floors at a later date.
He noted that the large crowds of students that normally come to the library during exam periods can be controlled because of the appointment system and the decreased density of seating to allow for appropriate distancing.
In creating seating arrangements, Hardison said that facilities staff followed directives from the Emory Environmental Health and Safety Office, which mandates that there be at least 150 square feet available per person in open spaces on campus.
The Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library’s operational procedures remain nearly identical because it was already operating under an appointment-only system.
Woodruff P.E. Center
The Woodruff P.E. Center and the Student Activity and Academic Center have been closed since March 16 and their reopening timelines are currently unavailable. Staff at both centers could not be reached for an interview.
Student Centers
The Emory Student Center remains open to students with restrictions on seating and room capacity.
Common spaces do not have closed off seating areas and social distancing protocols are in effect but not fully enforced.
The Alumni Memorial University Center is open to students though some rooms have been permanently closed.
All other conference rooms and other meeting spaces require at least 50 square feet per person in determining maximum occupancy of a given meeting space, allowing for proper social distancing.
Dining
All dining facilities have modified seating to allow for appropriate physical distancing and are take-out only. Outdoor seating areas have been created at different spaces on campus to make up for the removal of indoor seating.
Kaldi’s in the Emory Student Center and Ray’s at the Woodruff Residential Center will be closed for the semester. The Dobbs Common Table is open to all students on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cox Hall Food Court is open on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m, Kaldi’s Coffee at The Depot is open every day from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Starbucks is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Ebrik Coffee Room in the Michael C. Carlos Museum is open on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Study Spaces
As with campus libraries, other study spaces across campus are operational with restrictions on capacity.
Cox Hall Computing Center is open to students via appointment only, Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Brooks Commons in Cannon Chapel is open to students by reservation only, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., according to Site Operations Coordinator in the Candler School of Theology Sara McKlin.
Academic Buildings
All Emory College academic buildings are only accessible by EmoryCard. It remains unclear whether all students with an EmoryCard can access buildings or if specific sets of students are approved to enter a given academic building. Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Enku Gelaye did not respond to repeated requests for an interview. Wheel staff could enter campus academic buildings using their EmoryCard.
Religious Centers
No communal religious gatherings are being held in person, University Chaplain Rev. Gregory McGonigle said. The Office of Spiritual and Religious Life is working to make smaller meditative spaces on campus available to students in a similar manner to other facilities such as the Emory Student Center. There is not a specific timeline for the opening of such spaces, according to McGonigle, as such decisions are made under University health and safety protocols.
Additionally, the following off-campus religious centers are operating with appropriate safety protocols, including contact tracing, mask requirements and temperature checks: Bread Coffeehouse, Chabad, Hillel and the University Catholic Center.
Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church is holding virtual Sunday services for members.
Carlos Museum
The Michael C. Carlos Museum is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. only to Emory community members who present an EmoryCard. Visitor numbers will be monitored and capacity is limited inside the museum, though maximum capacity is not specified.
