By Chloé Margulis
Staff Writer
With finals fast approaching, students are in search of the most quiet, convenient study locations. So, why not the library? For starters, I believe the library is the number one go-to place on campus during this time of year. Because of its immense volume during common hour and daytime, it’s hard for many students to get in their valued study time. If only the library were open 24 hours, students could turn on their nocturnal habits and get into the swing of studying in the quiet of the night.
Sometimes we have such busy schedules that we don’t have time to study during the day. And when you head back to your noisy dorm, or loud and active home, the last thing you find yourself wanting to do is study. Thankfully, during finals, the library will be open for almost 24 hours. “During finals, we extend our nighttime hours and are open until 1 a.m. That basically covers the Reference Commons area on the main floor [including] the computers, printing, and reference assistance,” Eduardo Rivera, head of Reference Services at the B. Davis Schwartz Memorial Library, said.
We all need that one place to buckle down into a rhythm of studying a semester’s worth of notes. Dorms and home are bound to be full of distractions, while the biggest distraction in the library could be the student sneezing at a table across from you or Plato’s Republic opened to a dog-eared color coded masterpiece of somewhat incoherent text.
Many of us feel that the library is the only place we are compelled to crack down on our studying. Granted, you might have your phone beside you, but in places like the book stacks, phone service and WiFi become more limited as you venture into the lower levels, offering the prime getaway for hardcore studying. In this case, it is in the student’s best interest when the library is open for extended hours.
I don’t believe it’s necessary for the library to be open 24 hours for the entire semester. As Rivera said, if the library is open for 24 hours, “I [can] foresee a problem making sure all areas of the building are safe and secure in the wee hours of the night.”
Many issues would arise on whether or not the library hours should be extended to 24 hours. These issues would include staffing, security, and which services would be offered at all hours. As of now, the library is not taking any precautions to enact a 24-hour schedule. However, I do believe that the library does not need to be open 24/7 during finals because it has adequately extended its hours. There is a certain time, after all, when students should be hitting the sack and relaxing their brain and body before the big test.
In conclusion, we all know that finals week is the most crucial week for students. The library will be offering its services to students during this stressful time crunch from 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. After finals are over, the library will commence its regular schedule of closing Monday through Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday at 11 p.m., and 9 p.m. on Fridays.
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