Get Your Study On

It’s been a long time coming, but undergraduates will at last have a 24-hour library. Next fall, Lamont Library will be open all day and night from Sunday morning until Friday night. The extension of Lamont’s hours is in great part due to the tireless work of The Undergraduate Council (UC) and in particular, President Matthew J. Glazer ’06, Representative John S. Haddock ’07, Representative Ryan A. Petersen ’08, and former Vice-Chair of the Student Affairs Committee Teddy E. Chestnut ’06. These students and Harvard College Libraries (HCL) deserve enormous praise for working together and finally meeting the needs of students.

The call for a 24-hour library is far from a new one. We, along with the UC and some librarians, have been pushing HCL to open a 24-hour study space for years. But despite these appeals, HCL had previously ignored these demands, citing the cost of keeping a library open all night and the stress a 24-hour library would place on the staff. This year however, HCL changed its mind largely due to an in-depth report written by Petersen and Haddock. The report, which featured a survey of almost 260 undergraduates, showed what we and the UC have been saying all along. Ninety-two percent of those surveyed supported the creation of a 24-hour library. More than 57 percent said they would use the library after its current closing time.

Furthermore, students do not keep the same hours as working adults, and many do not have a quiet study space in their dorm or House. A late night study space is thus crucial.

Thankfully, when the HCL was presented with the clear evidence in the UC’s report, it agreed to keep Lamont open all night for a two-year trial period. While some sections of the library will not be open 24 hours, the majority will, including Circulation, Reserves, and the Morse Music Library and Media Center, meaning students will not only have a quiet space to study, but will also be able to continue to do research. HCL’s decision is even more praiseworthy because it will be paying for the extended hours out of its own budget, as neither the College nor the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) will be defraying any of the costs. This unfortunately means the renovation of Lamont will have to be delayed, but the need for a 24-hour library makes this a worthwhile sacrifice.

The UC’s achievement in convincing HCL to extend Lamont’s hours is a welcome reminder that student persistence can lead to greater improvements in students’ lives. We applaud the UC and all of those who have worked for this over the years, and who refused to let the issue to die.

For now, it seems that HCL is committed to keeping Lamont open into the wee hours of the night even after the trial period ends, as long as they have enough funds. Hopefully, the College, FAS, or the Harvard Corporation will recognize the importance of having a 24-hour library and will provide funds to keep Lamont open 24 hours well into the future. Lamont’s late hours are a great boon to students and should exist for years to come.