Students will no longer be able to study overnight at the Undergraduate Library, given the changes in library hours starting this semester.

Previously open 24 hours for four days a week, the UGL is going to be open from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. from Monday to Thursday, while Friday hour is from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Saturday hours will be from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., while the Sunday hours will be expanded to from 10 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.

According to David Ward, head of the UGL, analysis of the late-night hours showed that very few students are in the UGL building after 2:30 a.m. The number drops down to a couple dozen or even single digits during some hours.

“In consultation with the Grainger Engineering Library, we determined that they had enough space and capacity to accommodate any students wanting to study in a library space during the 24-hour overnight period,” Ward said in an email.

The Grainger Engineering Library Information Center will remain open 24 hours for five days a week starting Sept. 10.

Andrew Borbely, sophomore in ACES, often studies at the UGL late at night, sometimes until as late as 3 a.m.

Borbely said in an email he notices many students stay late on a regular basis and he has friends who do the same.

“2:30 a.m. sounds fine for weekdays, as I don’t stay much longer than that usually, but 9:00 p.m. on weekends is a bit frustrating,” he said. “I know people go out to bars and parties on weekends, but I’ll occasionally have a test or project due Monday and I like to study late nights on the weekends in those cases.”

Ward said the shift to an earlier closing time allows the library to shift staff and resources back toward the 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. time period, when the library sees high levels of usage of technology and library-specific services.

“We plan to keep our new schedule for at least a few years, during which time we will continue to monitor use of the building and services, and stay in consultation with other libraries to make sure there is adequate 24-hour study space for students,” he said.

Ward said the UGL is also steadily increasing access to technology for media production over the past several years to meet the high demand from students. The loanable technology collection expanded to include additional camera and recording equipments, and the pre-existing video and audio studio had the equipment updated.

“As we continue to introduce new programs, our revised staffing plan will ensure that we can provide a consistent and high level of service to students.”

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