The highly lauded “Luxembourg Learning Centre” will consolidate the three libraries in Kirchberg, Limpertsberg and Belval in the renovated Möllerei building, part of the former industrial complex in Belval. With 4,800 windows, six floors and state-of-the-art facilities, the library is scheduled to open in September 2018.

But with parts of the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance, and Science, Technology and Communication and Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) still in Luxembourg City, the project could prove inconvenient for students.

“Since many researchers are not living in Belval, with the new Learning Centre, they will have to go all the way down to the south to get a book […] It’s simply time consuming and doesn’t make the work more comfortable,” a student who wished to remain anonymous told Delano.

Shuttle bus discontinued

A shuttle bus service was operational between the three campuses but was discontinued in 2017 after a decrease in use. The university proposes the Karzoo car-pooling platform and a spokesman told Delano that it is looking to improve public transport accessibility for the campuses.

When public transport is no longer an easy option, the car is the solution many students fall back on. However, Belval’s location, in the south of the country at the end of a congested motorway, does not much this alternative much more attractive.

“[It’s a] journey that often leaves drivers stranded in traffic and students missing exams or even taking a room at the Ibis hotel the night before to be there on time at 8am,” a law student, who did not wish to be named, told Delano. “With the transfer of the library, nobody will take at least three hours out of their day to go fetch, let alone consult a book.”

Some students have called for the Limpertsberg library--which is hosted in a restored church that served as a cantine during WWII--to be retained not just as a place for books but also to study and work with other students. A university spokesman said that “it would not be possible to maintain these offerings over three sites, so there is a need to focus on Belval.”

“We are currently examining the feasibility of several measures that will allow them to access the literature that they require closely to their campus,” the spokesman said.

The University of Luxembourg was founded in 2003 and began moving part of its operations to Belval in 2015. Plans for the Learning Centre date back to 2006.