Beginning today, a portion of Memorial Library will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
After pressure from the Associated Students of Madison to expand library hours, UW-Madison administrators announced that the first-floor west corridor of Memorial Library will remain open during all hours, providing UW-Madison students with a safe and centrally located place to study.
The extended library hours will be open only to UW-Madison faculty, staff and students, primarily for safety purposes.
\Security is our number one concern here. We want students to feel safe and comfortable at all times and at all hours,"" said Ed van Gemert, associate director of Library Services at UW-Madison.
Library personnel and UW-Madison administrators will evaluate the expansion of library hours after this semester. When evaluations are complete, the extended hours may be eliminated or possibly extended to other libraries on campus.
""There is a need for 24-hour library service on this campus,"" Van Gemert said. ""What we need to do is assess the use and value of this service and see if it can be expanded into other areas.""
ASM representatives, though happy with this initial administrative decision, said they will continue pushing the issue in order to open extended hours to other libraries on campus.
""I am pleased with the administration's decision, but we need to still do more,"" said Mark Santi, a UW-Madison junior and ASM Letters and Sciences representative. ""Our goal is to make College Library, with all its wonderful resources, open 24 hours a day. We will keep working hard for students and with the administration until we complete this goal.""
This announcement from the administration comes well received from students and ASM representatives, as many have expressed a desire for expanded library hours.
""On a campus this large and of this stature, expanded library hours are a needed reality,"" said Kyle Trombee, a UW-Madison senior and ASM Letters and Sciences representative. ""This is step by ASM and the UW-Madison administration to really honor academics and put education first.\
