Editorial: Hillman should move to 24-hour operation

‘ ‘ ‘ A month or so from now, when the lull between the beginning of the semester and midterms… ‘ ‘ ‘ A month or so from now, when the lull between the beginning of the semester and midterms ends, stressed-out students will flood Hillman Library to toil on papers, projects and midterms until it closes at 2 a.m. ‘ ‘ ‘ We often joke that no serious studiers enter what’s commonly known as ‘Club Hillman,’ a nickname attributed to the more social atmosphere of Hillman’s first floor during the library’s peak evening hours. ‘ ‘ ‘ But as the night continues, Hillman transforms into a haven for academically minded students, many of whom will continue studying well past the building’s closing time. ‘ ‘ ‘ Though Pitt maintains some 24-hour operations ‘mdash; the Cathedral of Learning and David Lawrence computer lab, as well as residence hall lounges ‘mdash; for students wishing to continue their studying late into the night, it has not joined the growing number of colleges nationwide that boast 24-hour libraries on campus. ‘ ‘ ‘ All-nighters are not a new occurrence on college campuses, but college libraries have begun to switch to 24-hour operations during the week in order to stay relevant in an age when students can access most study materials online. In the Internet age, the college library is no longer the go-to source for study and research materials. ‘ ‘ ‘ Instead, it has morphed into a quiet area for students to work without the distractions of roommates, television and, most importantly, sleep. ‘ ‘ ‘ This fall, Carnegie Mellon University’s Hunt Library began to experiment with a 24-hour operation, keeping its basement and first floor open during the week. ‘ ‘ ‘ When the university observed twice its target number of students working in the library overnight, it decided to make the hours permanent. Other colleges that maintain 24-hour libraries during the week include Villanova University, Penn State University, MIT, the University of Virginia, the University of Illinois and the University of California at Davis, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ‘ ‘ ‘ While Pitt does offer a few 24-hour study spots on campus, making Hillman a 24-hour library would provide a central location on campus for students wishing to study later than 2 a.m. Pitt has traditionally kept Hillman open for 24 hours during final exams with much success. ‘ ‘ ‘ Permanently transitioning its operations to 24 hours would require maintaining the finals week structure during the entire semester.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Rather than operating the David Lawrence computer lab, which offers no table study space, for 24 hours, the University could instead close the David Lawrence lab earlier and maintain its 24-hour operations at the Hillman computer lab. ‘ ‘ ‘ One possible objection to moving Hillman toward 24-hour operations might be the difficulty of staffing a building as large as Hillman for 24 hours. ‘ ‘ ‘ Keeping Hillman open 24 hours would require staffing additional computer lab, library and security attendants, which would no doubt cost the University more money.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Though cost is a drawback, it seems a small trade-off for the benefits of having a central campus location for all-night studying.