Dental students are angry at being left in the dark over the University of Otago's plans to move its medical library to make way for animal testing facilities.
This came after the university recently revealed it was considering shifting its animal testing labs into the Sayers Building, which houses the library, after animals were recently infected with a type of parasitic worm.
The potential move raised the ire of medical students who feared they would lose access to the only study space in the university's health precinct.
New Zealand Dental Students' Association president Omar Alsabiry said dental students were also angry they had been left in the dark about the university's plans.
Dental students were only told about the university's plans last week by the Otago Medical Students' Association and since then the dental students group had expressed its concern by writing to pro-vice-chancellor health sciences Prof Peter Crampton, Mr Alsabiry said.
Dental students used the medical library ''regularly'', as it was much larger than their library. It was ''unfair'' the university had spoken to medical students and not dental students.
He feared if there was not an adequate replacement for the medical library, students from other disciplines would put extra pressure on the small dental library.
If the university went ahead with its plan, it had a ''responsibility'' to reassure students a replacement facility would be built and available in the health precinct when the current library closed.
Prof Crampton said it ''should be noted the university has a separate dental library''.
The university said last week that no change would occur ''without alternative study space being provided''.