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Walsh Library is open from Sunday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. but closes at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Sheng-Xi Chen/Staff Photographer.[/caption]
Anyone looking to get some work done on a Saturday night at Walsh Library is out of luck.
Recent changes in the library’s operating hours mean that the library now closes at 5 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. on Saturdays.
From Sunday to Friday, the library is open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. Last year on Saturdays the library was open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This past year the library’s hours for Saturday changed to 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., which is still the same number of business hours.
However, this earlier closing on Saturdays has had negative effects on some students.
Lizi Kimeridze, a freshman diplomacy major, said those two extra hours are vital time for getting work done. “I often find myself unable to finish my homework and have to delay it till Sunday, unless I decide to finish it in a noisy lounge.”
While some students feel the stress of the changed hours, others do not feel the effect at all.
Kim Messano, a sophomore psychology major, said that she noticed the earlier library hours and is okay with the change because she has a study room near her dorm in Xavier Hall that she uses when the library is closed.
Dean of University Libraries, Dr. John Buschman, said that the reason for the change is that campus tours, which used to leave from Duffy Hall, are currently operating out of the library. He said the latest that they can be open in the mornings is 9 a.m. According to Seton Hall’s “Blue Crew”, the campus tours will be running out of the library until the new Student Welcome Center is built.
The Student Government Association (SGA) has been pushing for longer library hours and SGA President, Teagan Sebba, has been pushing for a 24-hour study space.
According to a 2014 study conducted by Buschman and Drew Holden, who was the Liaison to Academic Affairs in 2014, and the library staff, it would take an estimated $90,000 per year to keep Seton Hall’s library open 24 hours. The library staff also does head counts every night and found that only three to six students go to the library in the middle of the night during non-finals time.
Sam Innamorato, a freshman communications major, said she feels that “24 hours during exams is enough.”
Dr. Buschman said that after conducting a few tests, the number of students in the library, on any normal day, dropped drastically after 2 a.m., so keeping it open after that is not cost effective.
Sebba said that not having a quiet place to work is “not the norm,” and that students should be able to have somewhere to go when nowhere else works. She pointed out that most universities have a place that is always open to students.
Sebba offered a possible all-hours option. She said that the main floor of the library with just the Securitas could be a possible option or even the campus Dunkin’ Donuts could be a 24/7 study space since it is already open 24 hours a day.
Dunkin’ Donuts is open from 5 a.m. on Monday to 1 a.m. on Saturday without closing.
Sebba said Dunkin’ Donuts passes all the requirements, such as a handicap accessible bathroom, large windows for security purposes, doors that lock from the inside and is located less than 500 feet away from the library. It is a much smaller space to watch over than the 126,000 square foot library and also has coffee for students.
Mariah McCloskey can be reached at mariah.mccloskey@student.shu.edu.
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