Lamont To Stay Open 24 Hours

Starting this fall, Harvard College Libraries (HCL) will undertake a two-year pilot program to keep Lamont Library open 24 hours a day during the academic workweek, Larsen Librarian of Harvard College Nancy M. Cline told The Crimson earlier today.

This initiative comes on the heels of a strong push from the Undergraduate Council (UC), which published a study last month detailing Harvard students’ late-night study habits. Citing “undeniably strong student demand,” the report called for the establishment of a 24-hour library on campus.

Cline said she is optimistic about the benefits of extending the hours that students can work in Lamont, Harvard’s primary undergraduate library.

“This will give us a chance to attend to students’ concerns,” Cline said. “We realize that Lamont is not just a studying place—it has a wide range of resources and a good studying environment.”

While administrators had hesitated for several years to respond to calls for a 24-hour library, Cline said that recent events had spurred HCL to open the library overnight. Cline cited the UC report and HCL’s plans to delay a sweeping renovation of Lamont as the primary factors driving the decision.

UC President Matthew J. Glazer ’06 expressed enthusiasm about HCL’s project.

“We are tremendously excited,” he said. “We all worked very hard for this, and we are very encouraged, because it will help out so many students.”

Lamont will remain open from 8 a.m. Sunday to 9:45 p.m. Friday during the pilot program. The library will also be open from 8 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. on Saturday under the new schedule.

During the extended hours, most of the building will be open to students, including Circulation, Reserves, and Morse music and media services. Government Documents and Microforms, the Poetry Room, and the Forum Room will maintain their current hours and close overnight.

HCL plans to conduct an initial evaluation of the pilot program at the end of the spring 2006 term.

—Check www.thecrimson.com for updates later tonight.

—Staff writer Daniel J. T. Schuker can be reached at dschuker@fas.harvard.edu.