VCU Libraries announces changes tied to the winter break. Services and spaces will remain available Nov. 30, 2020 - Jan. 23, 2021 with reduced hours after the exam period. Both James Branch Cabell Library and Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences buildings will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 3.  

Vast collections of online resources remain available 24/7.

In the past, Cabell has remained open during the two-week university closure in late December to support intersession courses. With intersession courses fully online and the  dramatically lower traffic in the building--about 20% of the usual number of visits -- it makes sense to close Cabell during the break to ensure the best stewardship of staffing resources, according to Laura W. Gariepy, the associate dean who manages the building and its service points. “This will also allow a nice break for our many colleagues who have been working on-site 40 hours per week this fall to keep spaces open for our students,” says Gariepy. 

• Students and faculty who need physical materials in late December and early January should make plans to borrow them before the buildings close. 
• Interlibrary loan and document delivery services will be unavailable during the two-week closure. More details
• Online intersession classes start Dec. 28. At that time, chat, text and email services will resume on weekdays.
• For more on libraries’ hours, see the hours page. 

Librarians are available to provide instruction for intersession and spring classes and remain available for research consultations via Zoom between the fall and spring semesters, except for during the two-week closure. Special Collections and Archives will be available by appointment between semesters, and Cabell Library’s The Workshop will offer a combination of virtual services and in-person appointments when the building is open.  

Library hours for spring semester begin Jan. 24 and will be posted soon.