Overcrowding and inadequate studying facilities are threatened when library refurbishments go ahead.
Plans propose that the entire second floor will be taped off whilst renovation work is carried out.
This has caused outrage throughout campus as study space is already an issue for many.
Mary Wheldon, a second-year Chemistry student, said: “If you go to the library on any afternoon at about 4pm it is always rammed. How on earth will they accommodate everyone? Especially as the amount of students at York is increasing!”
The JB Morrell Library is undergoing a reported £10 million renovation in a bid to rid it of asbestos and equip it fully to accommodate the ever-growing York student body.
But most students will not get to benefit from the disruptions which will not be finished until January 2012.
Academic Affairs Officer Charlie Leyland said: “It is a concern. But the amount of students at York is rising, and our facilities must match this. The team behind the renovation, Bob Sheldon and Liz Waller, continue to be very student focused.”
“There will be disruption. But we want to work with the library and colleges to improve study space and its facilities,” she added.
The library hopes to ‘cash-in’ on the asbestos removal, with the refurbishment creating both independent study areas and places for larger groups to work.
Plans also include provision for student parents who need to use the library, such as a crèche, which Leyland hopes could be run by student volunteering.