Opening Cabot 24/7 for Exams Not Yet Permanent Change

While some may say the third time is a charm, it is still unclear whether 24-hour access to Cabot Library during reading period is here to stay.

For the third semester in a row, night-owls have the option of doing late-night studying for their finals in Cabot Science Library, which is currently open 24 hours a day through the end of exam period.

But according to George H. Dunlap '74, the evening supervisor of Cabot, it is still unclear whether the extended hours will be permanent.

Dunlap said that overnight student use of the library has not been consistent.

"Generally, what we've found is that the library is used considerably until 4 or 5 a.m. when [use] drops off," he said.

He said that usage tended to pick up at about 7 a.m.

"My personal feeling is that between midnight and 3 a.m. there is good justification [for keeping the library open]," he said.

But he suggested that opening the library earlier might be more beneficial than operating from 3 a.m. until 7 a.m.

Richard A. Phillips '99, an employee at the Cabot circulation desk, said he enjoyed having more access to the library.

At that hour, "It's just you and the books," he said. "If I study at home, I tend to get comfortable and fall asleep. [Cabot's] a pretty sterile environment."

As a biology and anthropology concentrator, Phillips said he thought more science concentrators took advantage of the extended hours because they were less likely to have to write papers.

Naudia N. Bryan '98, the student supervisor at Cabot and a pre-med, agreed with Phillips, but added that studying so late at night was not always a good idea.

"We're obsessive," she said. "It's just not healthy [to study so late]. There's a point when we need to say, It's 3 a.m.--maybe we should go to sleep."

Having worked at the Cabot circulation desk on Saturday night and into Sunday morning, Bryan said she found the library's nocturnal atmosphere to be very conducive to studying.

"It's the best time to study at the library," she said. "But I think it's just promoting unhealthy study habits."

But Straus Hall resident Katherine P. Bolton '01, said the tight quarters and noisiness of her dorm made late-night studying at the library a good option.

"Basically, the only place quiet enough to study for me is a library, especially during crunch time," she said.

But Dunlap said there is a concern for the safety of students who travel to and from the library late at night.

In response to such concerns, Dunlap said he has worked to ensure reliable shuttle service to safely bring students to the library and take them home.

He said the shuttle now runs every half hour all night, stopping at the corner of Oxford and Kirkland streets.

"This gives us certainty that we're providing safe passage," he said.

But he said the library could only ensure security if students took advantage of the safety measures.

"In order to accommodate users, we have bent over backwards to make safety arrangements for those patrons who are willing to utilize them," Dunlap said. "There's not much more that we can do."