Library hours may be extended

The money will come from the differential tuition program that, if approved, will take effect fall semester 2007.

The initial idea for this proposal came from an interest of UWRF students to make the Chalmer Davee Library available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After budgets cuts in 2002, students were left with limited accessibility to the building, as the library cut its hours of operation by eight hours a week.

Library officials, along with several members of UWRF staff, focused on a way to meet students’ requests for more library time and enhance student services on campus. They responded to the requests with an idea to make some expansion, but an around-the-clock library would not be necessary for this campus because students would not use the library until late hours of the evening.

“The goal we are trying to meet with this proposal is to develop services we aren’t currently providing or enhance resources we already have,” UWRF Budget Director Kristen Hendrickson said.

If the proposal is passed, the library will add 15 additional hours a week. The new hours proposed are Sunday noon to 1 a.m., Monday-Thursday from 7:45 a.m. to 1 a.m., Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m. and

Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The costs of the extension will cover bringing in a permanent night supervisor, added student assistants and security officials until closing.

A question many students on campus may be asking themselves is whether or not this will be beneficial. Many students do not find themselves using the library late at night.

Becky Davis uses the library until close one or two nights a week.

“If the library was open until 1 a.m. I would more than likely use it until close,” she said. I am often rushing to get out of here by 11 some nights.”

Davis does not live on campus, but she finds the library to be a better place to study and do homework than at home with all the distractions.

“I maybe use the library four or five times a month but it’s mostly just to pass the time in between classes,” senior Andrea Murray said. “I don’t think that I would use the library at 1 a.m. unless it was during finals week. Maybe if I lived on campus or in River Falls, I would use the library more.”

Purchasing additional online journals and reference sources will provide around-the-clock access to resources that UWRF students can use anytime, anywhere. Some of these additional sources, totaling an estimated $110,000 a year, will include converting print journals to electronics; The New York Times archive; additional document delivery; additional JSTOR modules such as the Health and General Science Collection, Ecology & Botany Collection, Biological Sciences and two Arts and Sciences Collections; and added online databases such as Food and Science Technology Abstracts, Communications & Mass Media Complete, Education Research Complete and more. These resources could be an advantage for those students who would not necessarily benefit from added library hours as statistics indicate students use online resources at a much higher rate than print.

“I would not be affected by an increase in library hours because a lot of professors these days don’t assign homework where you need to use the upstairs of the library. I can find most of my material on the library Web site,” Senior Ashley Bauer said.

If the proposal is passed, the new library hours will begin during fall 2007.

Valerie Malzacher, the Chalmer Davee Library director, said she feels that being able to fund library initiatives is extremely important to the students.

“With all the outside commitments students have, the non-standard library hours will be very beneficial,” Malzacher said. “I am pleased that the Student Senate recognizes that strong library resources, services and hours of operation play an important role in helping students succeed as they transition through the University.”

She also stated the heart of the proposal is to enhance electronic access. “This will infuse life into what we can do with our electronic resources,” Malzacher said.