Students eager to utilize new library hours
by Joshua Nawoichik
Come one, come all to the Library at Cape Cod Community College (4Cs), now offering extended hours on Thursday for any late-night students in need of some extra time to write a last-minute essay or get a quick study session in before the big test.
Instead of closing at 8:00 PM on Thursday, they will now close at 10:00 PM. The library will now be open 66.5 hours a week in total. It may not seem like much of a difference, but a lot can get done in a couple of extra hours. Thanks to a spreadsheet created by Library Director Timothy Gerolami, we can see that out of all the community colleges in Massachusetts, 4Cs ranks fifth in terms of weekly library hours.
“Students might need to pop in and grab something really quick, or they might need a quiet place to work late at night,” said Gerolami. “We want to increase opportunities for our evening students.”
This change was made mostly with nursing students in mind, in particular those who don’t have enough time during the day, in between class and work, to get essential assignments done. The nursing student representative sent out a survey to nursing students, asking if they wanted extended hours in the library and which day would work best.
Although only the thoughts of the nursing students were specifically surveyed, of course all other students can take advantage of the extra time as well. Cole Woodbury
“I can put in some extra time in my studies…extra time equals better grades,” said 4Cs student Cole Woodbury. “I went to UMass Dartmouth and their library stayed open until [midnight] every night. At least 20 students would be staying until that time was up. This benefits the students that work harder at night.”
Cole witnessed firsthand students taking advantage of later hours, as is the hope here at 4Cs. He takes multiple classes that meet later than most courses, some even going from 6:30 PM until 9:30 PM. He is very appreciative of the extra hours on Thursday nights because it fits perfectly into his schedule. Many other students will be elated at the news.
“Thursday is the last day before the weekend,” said Gerolami. “Students are still in that mid-week mindset so they can get some work done.”
Students haven’t transitioned into that weekend mindset, where they don’t want to focus on school, so extending hours on Thursday is perfect to allow students to get some things done before the weekend.
About six years ago, the library was open until 9:30 PM on Monday through Thursday. Due to budgetary constraints and changes to staffing, 4Cs was no longer able to allow such hours. There was a brief time of confusion where students would ask about the time change, but it was deemed a low impact on student life on campus. Maybe someday 4Cs can get back to those hours, but for now the extension on Thursday will suffice. Students will be flocking to the library on Thursday nights, trying to cram in some last minute work.
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