Lamont Probably to Retain Exam Hours

Lamont Library will probably repeat its mid-year experiment in extended library hours during the spring reading and examination period, Philip J. McNiff, director of Lamont, indicated yesterday.

McNiff, however, gave no definite indication as to whether or not the library would repeat the same type of experimental program. "That is up to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, since it is responsible for the library's budget," he said.

Lamont maintained a similar project last spring which ran for five weeks instead of the three this year. McNiff estimated the recent program cost $400 less than the $1600 of last spring.

Although no report on the success of the lengthened hours at mid-years has yet been made, it appears that students used the library on Sundays. Sunday, Jan. 23, the busiest Sunday of the period, found 468 students in the library at 9:00 p.m. This compares favorably with ordinary weekdays, since the maximum the library has counted at 8:30 is 339.

McNiff mentioned that freshmen were more in need of the later hours than anyone else, because they lack the facilities of House libraries, which the upperclassmen enjoy. "Freshmen need additional places for study," said McNiff, "because for one reason, their dormitory rooms are too noisy."

There has been a steady demand for extended hours over the years. When it was found last fall that the Faculty was considering not repeating last spring's experiment, Stephen L. Reynolds '95 formed a library committee from the Student Council to determine the need for library extensions.

In his report to the Council, Reynolds said crowding in College dorms makes it difficult for many people to study during exams, that the House libraries are insufficient to provide for the large pre-exam rush, and that Lamont provides necessary course material be a much greater extent than the Houses.