Ryan ChartrandThe Robert E. Kennedy Library is extending its hours starting fall quarter to give students more time to study, and will be open until 2 a.m. on weekdays.
“We are looking to be more responsive to student needs and more supportive,” Dean of library services Michael Miller said.
The library will be reconfigured this summer, so that the reading room can be left open to students while the rest of the library is closed down.
Miller said that one of the major concerns in having the room open until the early morning is the safety of those students using it. He said they will be installing security cameras and panic buttons which will be directly connected to University Police.
“There will also be police patrol checks periodically, because it is important to provide personal security for people in the library,” Miller said.
He said that the University Police Department has been involved in these plans throughout and that they have always been quick to respond on the few occasions when there was a problem in the library.
“I think this will be a good idea especially around midterms and finals because students tend to leave everything until the last minute,” business sophomore Dhimant Patel said. “Also, a lot of girls end up leaving early or calling friends to walk with them because the library doesn’t provide anything, so these new services (safety procedures) will be great.”
Miller said that the library is also in the process of a renovation project that would probably be completed around 2013.
“Once that happens then we could do extended access,” Miller said.
With the addition of four or five full-time employees, the library could remain open 24 hours, Miller said.
The renovations would also create room to add group study spaces and a coffee shop.
“We are investigating this now and are hopeful that we may be able to do that even sooner,” Miller said.
He said that these changes have been due in large part to the involvement of students involved in the Associated Students Inc. student advisory committee. Through this students are able to give input and help the library to better serve student needs.
Another big part of the extended hours will be student comfort. In addition to giving students an opportunity to have a coffee shop, students are also welcome to bring their own food, Miller said.
“This building is a food-friendly building now, which I don’t think many people realize,” he said. “Most people like food and drink when they work and we know this helps students be more productive.”
The only part of the building that Miller said is strictly off-limits to food is the Special Collections department, where irreplaceable documents are kept.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Dane Tiemeier said that although he doesn’t personally use the library to study in, he can see the benefits it will have. He said that the major complaint he hears from friends is that the library closes so early.
“As long as they assure that safe rides will be available, I think this extra time will bring about the best cramming sessions this school has ever seen,” Tiemeier said.