University libraries plan to extend opening hours and hold events to help students de-stress during finals week. 

Joseph Hall-Ingram, library specialist in Grainger Engineering Library, said in an email that Grainger will be hosting a therapy dog on Friday to help students relieve pressure.

Grainger normally closes at midnight on Friday and Saturday, but it will remain open for 24 hours Saturday and Sunday, Hall-Ingram said.

“We recognize the need for a quiet place to study, and Grainger has always been a popular location. Since there are scheduled weekend final exams, we feel it is important that every resource in the library be accessible to students,” Hall-Ingram said.

Nearly 1,200 students have filled Grainger in the past, near its maximum occupancy of 1,500, he said.

Grainger employees normally do six head counts a day, but they increase this number to eight times per day during finals, Hall-Ingram said.

“All university and public libraries keep these statistics as a way to analyze return on investment. It is one of the tools used to ensure resources are allocated where best needed,” Hall-Ingram said.

Lucy Moynihan, library operations associate for ACES Library, said ACES will extend its hours to remain open until 3 a.m. on May 4 and May 5, as opposed to its usual closing time of 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

“We do it because students do need to have a place to study,” Moynihan said. “And they like it here. It’s quiet.”

Moynihan said the seating capacity at ACES is 350.

“We usually are at capacity every night in finals,” Moynihan said. “Once finals start, we’re busy. There’s always a line waiting every morning.”

Moynihan said ACES will have a therapy dog, coloring books and a puzzles table during finals week to help students de-stress.

“The dog is really great, and people really enjoy that. It will be here from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on (May 7). We’re hoping the coloring books and the puzzles will also help people relax a little bit,” she said.

Moynihan said ACES started to host pets during finals five years ago, and therapy dogs are much more in-demand now than they used to be.

“Come and see our dog! She is a Husky and she’s beautiful,” she said. “Give her a little kiss, and everything will be transformed.”

David Ward, head of the Undergraduate Library, said in an email the UGL will remain open 24 hours per day on May 4 and 5, and it will stay open until the end of finals. Normally, it closes at 9:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and it closes at midnight on Sunday.

“We want to provide a safe, productive study space for students during this stressful time,” Ward said.

Ward said approximately 800 to 900 students study in the UGL during peak times of finals week, and the capacity of UGL is about 1,450 seats.

“We track numbers through automated gate counts and manual counting of students. And we also track Wi-Fi use statistics that are automatically generated by campus technology services,” Ward said.

The Espresso Royale located in the UGL will also extend its hours to midnight on May 4 and 5 rather than its usual closing time at 9 p.m.

Lisa Romero, librarian at the Communications Library, said the library will not extend hours during finals week because they already added extended hours in the fall of 2017.

“We used to open until 11 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday; now we open until midnight,” Romero said. “We think it’s a better way to spend money and meet students’ needs.”

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