Widener's Hours

Research is not a nine to five job. But Widener's "chasing" service for books in the stacks closes at five. The library itself closes at ten. Both practices seriously limit undergraduate and graduate students involved in specialized studies.

Widener officials have failed to extend chasing hours primarily because they have failed to recognize the importance of this improvement. They claim that other University libraries can meet the needs of most of the students who do not have Widener stack passes. But Lamont and Radcliffe Libraries frequently prove inadequate even for regular undergraduate courses. Moreover, an increasing number of undergraduates, such as students in freshman seminars, do special work which requires Widener's resources.

The administrators of Widener also emphasize that undergraduates who do not have passes can obtain books from the stack during the daytime chasing hours. But busy schedules and laboratories frequently force students to use the library at night--especially if they want to read extensively in a periodical or refer to a large number of sources.

Once officials face this problem, they can easily remedy it. Adjusting personnel and finances to add extra hours of chasing will not prove too difficult. Additional chasers can be found. Hiring a capable supervisor may present more of a challenge, but surely administrators capable of running a library of Widener's scope can manage this task.

These administrators have estimated that even their present budget might permit increased chasing; if possible, the hours should be expanded immediately. In any event, the Library's officials should stress the priority of funds for extra chasing when next year's University budget is planned.

The ten o'clock closing time is an even more serious problem; both undergraduates and graduates frequently do not begin work until the evening. Yet they are denied Widener's extraordinary research facilities during prime studying hours. Every year the CRIMSON receives many letters complaining about this situation. To measure the demand for longer hours, Widener should leave the library open till midnight one or two nights a week throughout the term.

The financial and staffing problems posed by later hours are far greater than those created by increased chasing. But if the experiment indicates sufficient demand, Widener should make every effort to surmount its administrative difficulties. Budget limitations are not sufficient reason for making such unique library facilities unavailable at the hours when many students need them.