Keep Lamont Open Late

As much as we try to deny it, the truth remains—Harvard students study, and Harvard students study late at night. Lamont Library, the main study facility used by undergraduates, currently closes its doors at 12:45 a.m. on most weekdays—and warns its students to pack their bags with a jarring bell at 12:30 a.m. Unfortunately, this deadline is too early to accomodate many students’ study habits, and it often interrupts students in the prime of their reading and reviewing.

And when Lamont closes its doors, there are few other quiet, study-conducive places for students to go. House libraries also close relatively early, leaving undergraduates stranded in poorly lit dining halls or their oftentimes noisy bedrooms to study late into the night. First-year students and the residents of some Houses even lack the luxury—if it could be called that—of an open dining hall.

Recently, however, the Undergraduate Council has endorsed a report calling for later hours for Harvard’s undergraduate library. There have been a number of efforts this year to make Harvard and the Square more conducive to changed student schedules. Students want the freedom to spend their time as they see fit, whether exercising at the Malkin Athletic Center, studying placidly in libraries, dancing in House parties or eating at Tommy’s House of Pizza. And there is sufficient student demand for later hours at Lamont to take the proposal seriously.

During reading period each semester, the Cabot Science Library is open 24 hours each day—and every desk is occupied during that time. Although there does not appear to be enough demand to justify keeping Lamont’s doors throughout the entire night, it would provide a great service to the students for that space to be made accessible to them until 2 a.m.

Of course, the decision to extend hours will not be a simple one. Staffing the library for an extra hour will require money and personnel, even if the circulation desk maintains its current hours. The number of students leaving Lamont at later hours will require increased public safety efforts by the Harvard University Police Department, and the extension may require new transportation options for students fearful of the prospect of walking back to the Quad at 2 a.m. The council has taken the first steps to identify and address these issues in its recent report, and we hope the College will work closely with council members to move forward on this effort.

The College has recognized undergraduates’ unique, night-loving lifestyles in other aspects of campus life; last year, the Harvard University Dining Services instituted the Brain Break option to provide food to students late into the night. But Harvard students do not live by bread alone, and the availability of a study space is crucial to many students’ ability to perform well in their academic endeavors. The library system should adopt a similar understanding of undergraduate schedules and extend Lamont’s hours.