Skillman Library will only be open until 2 a.m. during finals week this fall semester, just one more hour than its regular schedule and a pivot away from the former 24-hour study period.
“Practically zero” students used the space between 2 and 7 a.m., according to Dean of Libraries Charlotte Nunes. Between the cost of extra staffing and contracting outside security, Nunes said that the library budgeted $10,000 each academic year to run the library during finals weeks.
“Something we are really committed to is stewarding our funds to best support the student experience,” Nunes said, noting how the extra hours were “very expensive.” “This is money that we can be using to fund student fellowship opportunities through the library.”
The library used the building’s door sensors to collect data on how many students entered and exited the building during a given period, Nunes said.
Some students had mixed reactions to the change in hours.
“I usually don’t study past, like, 11 p.m. during finals, because I try to get a good sleep,” Olivia Wund ‘28 said.
Lily Magee ‘29 said that she is “passionate about printing at Skillman Library” and that she hoped to use the library at any hour to print.
Students will still be able to study all night in other academic buildings, such as the Rockwell Integrated Science Center, which requires a campus ID past 10 p.m. to enter.
Other study spots also extend their times during finals week, including Kirby Hall of Civil Rights’ second-floor library, which stretches its closing hour from 10 p.m. to midnight in December.
Nunes could not confirm whether additional 24-hour study spaces will be available during finals week this semester.