It’s Friday afternoon and you’ve just finished your last class of the week. Maybe you’re eager to get started on that homework assignment due on Monday, knowing that you’ll likely forget all about it once your weekend is in full swing. Or maybe you just want to find a quiet place to study, because your dorm room or suite is being converted into the site of the next big party on campus. In any case, you rush to the Marvin K. Peterson Library with your laptop or textbook and sit down just in time to hear: “Attention: The library will be closing in 15 minutes.”

There have always been complaints that the library closes way too early on the weekends. And, even though it’s open until midnight on the weekdays, that still leaves out a lot of students who have schedules that permit little time before then. Also, everyone has noticed and complained about the fact that the library doesn’t open until two in the afternoon on Sundays. The point is that many of us are discontent with the library’s current hours. Many students have chosen to live with it, while others have voiced their concerns to ChargerVoice.com. To those who have done the latter, you’ve been answered.

The Academic Committee, chaired by USGA Senator Kersten Foulds, has introduced a proposal to keep the library open for 24 hours a day, including on the weekends. The director of the library has already expressed delight at the concept after the initial meeting to bring up the idea, and over a hundred signatures have been collected in support. However, the approval by the heads of the university is still required and, of course, the issue of budgeting needs to be addressed. However, the Academic Committee is committed to trying to get this idea established so that students on campus can have access to the library whenever they need it and not during the current hours that sometimes do not fit student schedules.

Just take a moment and think of what this could mean for the UNH community. Not only would students have more hours to study and do homework, but the extra hours of operation would also require a larger library staff. This would generate more jobs for all students to apply for, not just those with federal work-study. It is a very exciting prospect.
Keep your eyes peeled for further developments. If you are interested in more information or would like to show your support, contact Kersten Foulds at [email protected].