A "30-HOUR WEEK" IN WIDENER

The hue and cry raised over the malfeasance and misfeasance in the borrowing of books from the Library, has somewhat obscured a point in the administration of Widener, which, under present conditions, is a constant source of inconvenience to a considerable body of students. In Widener, Room O, the reading-room of the Division of History, Government, and Economics, is at present open on weekdays from 9 to 5, on Saturdays from 9 to 1, and on Sundays not at all. In Room O are kept books constantly in demand by men concentrating in this division and not to be found elsewhere in the building, either in the Main reading room or in Lower Widener. These books are needed both for, regular assignments in various courses and for outside tutorial reading in the division. Under the present system a man who has a 12 to 1 class on Saturdays, or who is occupied in outside activities at Soldier's Field or elsewhere in the afternoons, finds it extremely difficult to reserve books in Room O within the required time, and on Sundays it is not possible to reach books there, even for study in the Library.

This inconvenience can be remedied in two ways; either by keeping longer hours in the reading room itself and opening it for some part of Sunday; or by adopting the system used by the English Department and in the Classical Library, if the expense of an attendant in Room O for the additional hours is too great. By this plan, a student could obtain a card from his advisor or an instructor in the course which would allow him admittance to Room O after the regular hours.

As the number of men concentrating in History, Government, and Economics is large, this change in the regulations of the Library would be distinctly worth while, aiding particularly in the work for the Divisional Examinations.