ASB proposes to extend library hours

Howard-Tilton Memorial Library returned to its regular fall hours last Monday. Though the library is already open past midnight five nights a week, some students feel that later hours would be more beneficial to students who choose to study late into the night.

ASB President Tim Clinton will be focusing his efforts on extending the library hours this fall. Clinton has started looking at the logistics of keeping the library open 24 hours a day during the school year.

Clinton said Howard-Tilton should extend its hours in order to accommodate what he feels is a large percentage of students who prefer to study late at night.

“I think that at a minimum the library should be open until 3 or 4 a.m. every single night, including the weekends,” Clinton said. “This option would benefit students immensely to prevent them from seeking other noisier locations on campus.”

Eric Wedig, interim director at Howard-Tilton, said the present library hours are based on several factors, including the number of students who visit the library and the safety of those using the building.

“Periodically we have tracked the number of people entering and exiting the building,” Wedig said.  “These reports indicate low use of the building after 12 midnight, although during the fall and spring semester we are open to 1:45 a.m.”

Security is a major issue in regards to keeping the library open past 1:45 a.m.

“An important consideration is that low use of the building after 1:45 a.m. on the vast upper floors of the library would inarguably be a security concern,” Wedig said.  “Libraries that stay open past 2 a.m. typically do so by limiting access to 24-hour study areas or zones.  Both the current layout of the Howard-Tilton building and its temporary HVAC system prohibit shutting off large portions of the building to accommodate this at present.”

Safety is a concern for students as well.

“I wouldn’t want to be in the library any later than it is already open, if only because I would not feel safe walking back to my dorm that late,” said sophomore Rebecca Decker.

Many students, like Decker, choose to study at the Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life when they know their work will keep them up late. The LBC is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The James Lounge, the Nalty Commons and the Rosenberg Lounge — all located in the LBC — provide study areas for students in need of a quiet atmosphere.

Clinton also feels that the later library hours would offer students an alternate place to study so they would not have to venture off campus.

“For a university trying to keep students from leaving campus late at night, I think it should provide a place that is open equally late at night,” Clinton said.

Though Clinton has not yet spoken to library administrators, there is a library advisory committee he plans to contact to discuss funding and whether or not the extended hours would be possible. The Dean of Libraries, in consultation with the public services staff, will ultimately decide the hours of the library.