The Samuel C. Williams Library is piloting extended hours of operation, thanks to an initiative from the Campus Life Committee (CLC) of the Student Government Association (SGA). The new hours push back late night closing from 2 o’clock a.m. to 3 o’clock a.m. on three days of the week, Monday through Wednesday.
Last semester, a few senators received questions from their districts’ constituents regarding places to study that are open later than the library. The Campus Life Committee, chaired by Sophomore Senator Jesse Priest, took on the initiative.
“I found out from [the Office of] Student Life who the best contact would be, and I was told to reach out to the Library Director, Linda Beninghove, Ed.D. After a few emails, we met to discuss what could be done to improve the library’s operations. She was welcoming of the SGA and CLC’s involvement in the library and was excited to see what she could do to help,” said Priest.
The first action item was last semester when the 24-hour library opening began the last week of classes, which is one week sooner than when they usually do 24-hour opening for finals period. The library will continue the pilot hours for the rest of the semester until the 24-hour opening that occurs the week before finals. The front desk employees have been instructed to do rounds of the building at 2:30 a.m. and record the number of students present. Despite the extended library hours, the Stevens shuttles did not extend hours of operation beyond 2:15 a.m.
Priest stated that Beninghove continues to welcome student feedback to help improve the library. Campus Life Committee and the rest of the SGA are excited to work with the library in the future.
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