Studying Fiends Camp Out in Cabot Library

With Cabot Library open 24-hours a day again this exam period, many Harvard students will sacrifice their Saturday evening of fun in order to spend the entire night studying in a cubicle and, in some cases, setting up camp.

"I've seen people in there in the morning with blankets and tooth-brushes," says Roanak V. Desai'00.

According to a count taken by librarians, the largest number of students who come into the library after midnight enter between the hours of 12 and 1 a.m.

This past Saturday morning, 200 students entered the library from the hours of midnight to 2 a.m., according to the count. The largest number of students, 72, came in between midnight and 1 a.m.--only 44 fewer students than the number the librarians counted between noon and 1 p.m. that day.

During exam period, the library keeps a record of the number of students who enter each hour. After midnight, the guard asks for their class years.

According to one of the guards in Cabot Library, from the hours of midnight to 1 a.m., almost 50 percent of the students who entered were first-years.

Students said they came to Cabot at all hours for various reasons.

"I'm usually up this late anyway," said Michael A. Feng '00. "Besides, the chairs here are much more comfy than in my room."

The number of students rises even higher during the week. On Wednesday more than 250 students entered between the hours of midnight and 3 a.m., the count showed. On Friday, 134 students entered between midnight and 1 a.m.

Throughout that Friday, more than 2,771 students entered the library.

With so many students taking advantage of the extended hours, some students wonder why the policy is not extended to the rest of the year.

"I think its amazing that Harvard doesn't have 24-hour libraries, most other colleges do." said Elisheva A. Lambert'98.

Lambert, a Crimson editor, said she spent most of Saturday night and the following morning studying in the basement of Cabot for Biological Sciences 11: "Basic Principles of Bio-chemistry and Cell Biology."

Other night owls agreed that a permanent 24-hour library would be advantageous.

"It's especially good to have a 24-hour library when you have loud roommates," said Edo L. Kussel '97, a math concentrator. "Without one, you have no place to go. Besides, I work best at night."

Some students say that they prefer to spend the entire night at the library and then return home for a quick nap.

Lambert said she planned to go home "to sleep for a couple of hours but then I'll come right back.

"It's especially good to have a 24-hour library when you have loud roommates," said Edo L. Kussel '97, a math concentrator. "Without one, you have no place to go. Besides, I work best at night."

Some students say that they prefer to spend the entire night at the library and then return home for a quick nap.

Lambert said she planned to go home "to sleep for a couple of hours but then I'll come right back.