Bostock and Perkins Libraries’ hours have been cut for the 2024-25 academic year due to alleged low nighttime usage and concerns over students’ mental health.
The two libraries now close at midnight Sunday through Thursday, two hours earlier than last year’s closing time of 2 a.m. They still close at 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and open at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends.
Study spaces in the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library and Von der Heyden Pavilion in Perkins Library will be kept open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Emily Daly, associate university librarian for research and public services, estimates that these spaces will fully accommodate the low post-midnight occupancies previously reported in Perkins and Bostock.
Rubenstein Library’s first-floor space for viewing archival materials also reduced its operating hours this year, closing at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday instead of 6 p.m. The library still opens at 9 a.m. Tuesday through Friday and is open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. It is closed Sunday and Monday.
“We know students want as much study access and access to nice study spaces as possible,” Daly said. “But we also see in the data … that there are parts of our building that are very empty for some parts of the day.”
According to Daly, manual occupancy counts indicated that library usage from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. was “sparse.”
“People say they want to be here until 2 a.m., people say they want late night study access,” she said. “But … we’re talking low numbers in some parts of our building, like a count of six people on a whole floor … between 1 [a.m.] and 2 a.m.”
Budget and mental health considerations as factors
To the library staff, reducing operating hours was the most fiscally responsible move.
According to Daly, paying for security staff, HVAC and lighting when occupancy was low created an unnecessary drain on the library budget while also increasing the facilities’ environmental impact.
“We want to make sure we’re thoughtful and strategic about how we are planning to keep buildings open,” she said. “… We are facing budget constraints like everyone, and we want to use that budget effectively.”
Daly explained that Duke Libraries manages its budget internally and that library administrators identified security staffing as an area where they could “make some reductions” by ending shifts at 1:30 a.m. instead of 2:30 a.m. She added that they could “more effectively secure” the facilities by limiting which spaces were open late and no longer requiring security personnel to monitor “the entire 480,000 square feet.”
Daly also noted that funds gained from shortened library hours could be reallocated towards other library needs, including training for library staff and updating furniture and study spaces.
Students expressed annoyance over inconveniences caused by the new closing time.
“I think it makes it a lot harder for people who want to stay up and study,” said sophomore Kanthi Makineedi. “Now they have to find new study spots and leave in the middle of studying — it kind of breaks their rhythm.”
She added that while she doesn’t typically study late at night, the change has been “hard on a lot of [her] friends.”
“I feel like it doesn’t affect juniors like me, who already have a single or who are living off campus,” said junior Andy Xu, though he speculated that sophomores or first-years who live in doubles would be more impacted by the change.
“During my sophomore year, I would go to the library every day, and I just literally worked until 2 a.m. … so I feel like it might [disadvantage students] in that case,” he said.
According to Daly, changes in library hours were also designed to encourage student well-being.
“We’re hearing from University administration that we really want students to have healthy habits around studying and sleep,” she said. “… And so what message are we sending by having 24-hour access to libraries?”
Library staff hope that shortened library hours will encourage students to sleep more instead of feeling the pressure to pull all-nighters, a notion some students refuted.
“I don’t think [the new hours are] helping students get more sleep,” said sophomore Layla Axam. “It’s actually disrupting their productivity if they have to leave at 12 [a.m.] and then they have to work in a study spot that maybe isn’t ideal.”
Sophomore Hannah Lim agreed.
“As a student who does study past 12 [a.m.], I think it’s kind of hard to find a good place to lock in unless it’s Perkins or Bostock,” she said, adding that she now feels obligated to work in her dorm or other locations where she may be more easily distracted.
Expanded hours on East Campus
While West Campus study locations are reducing their operating hours, first-years are being encouraged to make use of spaces on East Campus.
Although Marketplace’s dining hours end at 9 p.m., the facility will now be open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday as a study space. The rest of the East Union building will remain open 24/7 as an all-night study option for first-years.
“We’ve long been concerned about the fact that bussing is not reliable or consistent or available until 2 a.m.,” Daly said. “… It’s actually safer and a better option for them to be on East Campus, and we’ve worked to increase those options.”
First-year students previously had access to Lilly Library until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, though the facility is closed for renovations this year.
Daly pointed to the Bryan Center and Brodhead Center as alternative late-night studying options for students living on West Campus.
She also mentioned that library staff plan to continue data collection efforts going forward to evaluate the success of the policy.
“We’ll keep an eye and see what usage looks like, and if we hear a lot of complaints from students, and we’re also seeing that students are actively using these spaces at a higher level than they were in past years, we will certainly reassess,” she said.
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Kate Haver is a Trinity sophomore and a university news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.