Students may never have to scrounge for a quiet place to study at 2 a.m. again. As of this school year, University students can go to Clemons Library at all hours of the night with the permanent implementation of 24-hour, five-days-a week library services.
"I am very excited over the program," Clemons Library Director Vicki Coleman said.
Prompted by Student Council, Clemons started a one-year trial of 24-hour operations Oct. 31 of last year. The library monitored the number of people using the service during this time.
The provost's office "said that they would try it for a year and watch the activities and if they met the standards then they would continue funding on a permanent basis," said Colette Sheehy, vice president of management and budget.
Coleman and former Council president Joe Bilby agreed upon criterion for the trial to be considered a success. The criteria included a minimum total of 100 students using the service each night.
The criterion was met with more than 100 students on average occupying the library between the hours of 2 and 7 a.m., Coleman said. This number demonstrated the need for permanent 24-hour library service in the eyes of administrators.
After 2 a.m., students now have access to study areas, computers and printers. However, the circulation and reference desks only operate between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight.
To continue the late-night service, the University hired two security guards, who patrol the building between the hours of 12 and 8:30 a.m.
One guard sits at the circulation desk checking for student identifications as library patrons enter the building. It is a requirement to have a student ID to use Clemons after 2 a.m. for safety reasons.
Keeping Clemons open 24 hours costs the University $68,000 per year. This extra money mostly goes to the security guards' salaries.
The money was included in the provost's budget request to the Board of Visitors. The BOV's recent approval of the budget gave the green light for the all-night service.
The 24-hour schedule "was a part of the budget because it represented an increase in funds," Sheehy said.
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