No more long queues at DU Central Library. What changed?

Overcrowded queues of students at Dhaka University's Central Library — once a daily sight from dawn and even past midnight — have dwindled over the past year since the July 2024 uprising. What has changed?

Students and library officials say the drop in footfall is mainly due to the departure of many former students who had stayed in dormitories with political backing and used the library at night to prepare for jobs.

A visit to the DU library around 9am on 30 June showed several seats unoccupied, a situation nearly unimaginable just a couple of months ago.

This raises an interesting question: how many ex-students used to occupy the dorms and prepare for jobs during the Awami League era? 

If the library was crowded every night, the number must have been significant. Unfortunately, no exact figures are available.

TBS spoke with several students and library authorities to gain insight.

Rezaul Alam, a Mass Communication and Journalism student who has been preparing for government job exams at the DU library for the past two years, said, "Before the uprising, I had to leave my bag on the library premises the night before and wait in the queue at dawn to get a seat. Now I can walk in at noon and still find one."

When asked why the library became less crowded, he attributed the change to the departure of term-expired hall residents.

"Many used to stay in the halls even after finishing their master's degree. That's no longer possible now," he said.

TBS also spoke to eight government job aspirants who had completed their studies at DU and were preparing for exams at the central library before the July uprising. 

Some have since moved off campus to nearby areas such as Lalbagh and Azimpur, while others returned to their home districts.

One of them, Amanullah Riaz, who completed his post-graduation in Philosophy in 2023, studied at the library for five months post-uprising while living off-campus. Due to Dhaka's high living costs, he eventually returned to his home district, Rangpur.

"Before the change in government, I never thought I'd have to leave the hall so soon. Now, staying after completing a master's is no longer allowed — something unimaginable before," he told TBS.

Acting librarian Prof Kazi Mostak Gausul Haque also confirmed to TBS that student pressure on the library has decreased over the past year.

While he mentioned that no survey has been conducted to identify the exact reason, he said, "It may be due to former students vacating the halls."

There has long been debate over the legitimacy of using DU's central library for job preparation. Though meant for academic study, it has become a hub for government job aspirants, including BCS candidates.

Commenting on the issue, Prof Tariq Manzoor of the Department of Bangla at DU told TBS, "A university's central library should not function as a study centre for BCS or other job exams."

DU regains authority over hall seat allocation 

For the past 15 years, dormitory seat allocation at DU was reportedly controlled by leaders of the then Chhatra League, now a banned student organisation, affiliated with the Awami League. 

During that time, many students continued residing in the dormitories after their studies ended by leveraging the influence of Chhatra League leaders. This adversely affected the university's housing system and library services.

However, following last year's July uprising, authority over dormitory seat allocations was returned to the university administration.

Abdullah Al Mamun, president of the DU Provost Standing Committee and provost of Salimullah Muslim Hall, told TBS, "Only regular students are now allowed to live in the halls. The administration has full control over seat distribution and hall management."

Students concur that the central library's situation has improved due to the departure of former students from the halls.