We’ve all done it – rushed like a flock of bees to the library for a few hours of quiet, uninterrupted study. In fact, the North Reading Room of the Frank J. Melville Library is known to house mobs of students buried in piles of books, watchful of their backpacks, and afraid to give up their seat to satisfy hunger pangs. The great thing about the library is that you get a work-oriented space where you can be so productive that it would completely overshadow any instance of procrastination you had over the semester. Unfortunately, this almost euphoric feeling is short termed.
The administration is generous enough to extend library hours during finals week. But what about during the semester, when we are still frustrated with midterms and unwelcome projects? Although SBU is as much a commuter school as a residential campus, it is an undeniable fact that students tend to stay late nights. Some find it best to work over the weekend, especially on Saturdays and Sundays when our free time can be better spent than simply sitting in a classroom.
You could argue that students can study in their dorms. But anyone who lives in one can attest to the loud obnoxious singing next door, or the disheartening loud bass upstairs. The library is intended purely for academic study, with a wealth of resources for research and printing, which is usually unavailable in residence halls.
According to a Fall 2005 survey by Vassar College’s Library Committee, 70 percent of students indicated a desire for more extended hours during exams, and 50 percent of students wanted extended night hours throughout the semester. Is it not fair to assume that the same sentiment would be shared by SBU students?
The North Reading Room, which holds the most students in comparison to other libraries on campus (besides the Health Science Centre Library, which isn’t officially considered part of the University libraries), is only open until midnight Monday through Thursday. That is only a few hours from when students get around to studying. The latest a library open after that is the Central Reading Room, which cannot acommodate even a half of the students in the North Reading Room. On Fridays and Saturdays, the latest library times are 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM, respectively. This is hardly enough time for most students, who would rather work at night to keep in sync with their weekday schedule. Furthermore, the earliest libraries open is 8:30 AM, which is too late for early risers, as a lot of their classes start at this time.
Several colleges pride themselves on libraries that stay open 24/7. As a well-renowned research institution and pioneering SUNY, shouldn’t SBU take the first step towards instituting this policy? The administration needs to realize that students are not simply class rats; they work at odd hours on campus, or have extracurricular involvements that often start after dusk. Some students attend classes and seminars that last from morning to evening and their only viable time for studying is late night. Student-athletes are usually only able to devote weekend evenings for their strenuous week, especially when they face away games. During weekends, the library night, especially if assignments require research materials housed in the library.
Essentially, instead of imposing the unrealistic expectation that students, commuters and residents alike, will get their work done by midnight, the library can now facilitate a better work ethic. Extending library hours during the regular semesters will motivate students to make the fullest use of this incredible resource. It will discourage procrastination as students will now get their work done during weekdays. In the workplace, longer hours mean frustrated workers and low-quality productivity. The reverse is true in college, where longer hours will actually result in happier students and a better quality of productivity.
