24-Hour Lamont Likely Here to Stay

Lamont Library’s 24-hour service received a positive evaluation this past spring, moving the two-year pilot program one step closer to becoming permanent at the end of the next academic year, according to a librarian of the Harvard College Libraries (HCL).

“Students and staff both seem happy with the program,” said Marilyn Wood, an HCL associate librarian for collection management. “[It] has been successful in its first year so we will continue with it.”

The evaluation consisted of daily and hourly head counts that gauged total library use as well as the particular library areas students were working in, Wood said. HCL also kept track of the rate of circulation of Lamont’s various collections.

“People are using Lamont at all times of the day and that has been very promising. There is also no request for additional services, most students are just looking for a place to study,” said Wood.

During reading period, HCL also compared how many students used Lamont and Cabot Science Library, which is also open 24 hours a day during the lead-up to exams.

Finally, HCL administered short surveys to students as they left Lamont. The survey asked students to list their class, dorm, and most frequent hours of usage of Lamont in order to better understand the students’ demographics.

Lamont’s extended hours were implemented in the fall of 2005 after the Undergraduate Council completed a survey and a report during the 2004–2005 academic year demonstrating students’ desire for longer library hours.

As a result of the new policy, Lamont has been open at all hours during the academic year, except for Friday and Saturday nights and school vacations.

A café is slated to open in Lamont this fall. Wood said that with its opening, HCL will conduct additional studies to gauge students’ satisfaction with Lamont.

Wood also said that in light of some unruly nighttime behavior, HCL will also be paying close attention next year to student conduct.

“We want to make sure we are appropriately staffed. We had some problems with misconduct and we want to make sure it doesn’t affect how we go forward,” said Wood.

“We hope we can ask students to help with self-regulating their behavior,” she added.

—Staff writer Aditi Banga can be reached at abanga@fas.harvard.edu.