Northeastern Voice

New library hours allow flex-time for studying

Will Wakeling

Anyone wondering why University Libraries rolled out a massive extension of its hours, offering 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week access to its study labs on the first floor beginning July 7, need look no further than students like chemical engineering sophomore (this fall) Michelle McNeilly.

Like so many of her hard-studying classmates throughout campus, McNeilly often finds herself hitting the books when others are hitting the hay.

“Many students on campus study just that hard,” said McNeilly, vice president for academic affairs, student government association. “It’s a fact of life for today’s college student, lets face it.”

Involved as she is with studies, classes, a volunteer position on the student government association, and myriad activities, McNeilly represents today’s student: one who doesn’t tuck in to a childhood bedroom for study time.

Changing campus demographics, which has redefined the former commuter college into a residential one, has increased demand for quiet study space outside residential space on and off campus, said Will Wakeling, acting dean, University Libraries.

“Our students were asking for this, and with the support of the provost’s office, we’re happy to report that we are one of the few university libraries in the area that can truly say we’re 24/7,” Wakeling said. “Being open 24 hours is a really big deal for us.”

With the rollout, some 420 seats on the first floor of the library will be available, said Lesley Milner, associate dean of the library.

With this, students will have access to computer labs, study space, and food through the Cyber Café, which was created in 2001. “We’ve had quite a steady stream of students who were looking for this level of availability,” said Milner, noting that as the chief customer service representative of the library, she is pleased to now see a steady stream of “thank you” notes in her computer e-mail.

“Student study patterns have changed with the times,” Milner said. “When once they commuted from their parents’ homes, and studied there, they now live on campus and require a quiet space to do their homework.

Milner added, ““Our students are up very late now. Often they have part-time jobs, or in class for most of the day, so their studies come later in the day.”
And, with the Internet, there is always somebody, somewhere in the globe, who is up working on something that may help a student here with his or her studies, she said.

Susan Powers-Lee, executive vice provost for academic administration, underscored the provost’s office commitment to ensuring round-the-clock library access.

Speaking in praise of the student government association, which identified extended library hours as a high priority for students, and the collaborative work between students and senior leadership to develop a budget for it.

“This 24/7 access will allow our students more flexibility in how they plan their studying and also more opportunities to utilize the library resources,” Powers-Lee said.

For McNeilly and her fellow late-night studiers, the extended hours are just what they needed. “A lot of us prefer not to study in a dorm, and need to be in a quiet place where there are not distractions,” she said. “My study hours typically go from about 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., and now that hours are extended, it gives me and my fellow students even more options.”

— Susan Salk