Morse Library changed its hours, now requiring ID access from 6 p.m. to midnight. It also now allows longer hours for book return, which can be done from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. in the entryway space on the second floor. 

Two emails were sent out through Student Digest this past week to inform students of this change, yet most students missed the announcement. 

One of those students is Demir Kasapoglu’28, who found out about the change while standing outside of the library in the pouring rain. “A library being closed… after a certain hour is a bad way to run a library if there is no legitimate security threat,” he said. “Libraries should be open to as many people as possible for as long as possible.” Meara Plum’29 and Sydney Avila’29 also shared similar statements about library accessibility and missing the announcement. Ella Walters’27 was likewise unaware of the change, and mentioned that she was startled when arriving at the library earlier in the week. 

Some students shared that they did know a change was coming, such as Madeline Wilhelm’27 who had seen the email. “There are security concerns when the entire building is typically being run by students after 6 p.m.,” she noted. “There is something to be said for working towards a safer space when there are not staff easily accessible in case something were to happen.” She also believes longer book return hours will be helpful for students.

Ted Wilder, CIO and library director, said that this change was not in response to an incident, and is the same with access to other buildings around campus. “LITS planned to implement swipe access when Morse Library reopened in 2024, but we were unable to make the change until this semester,” he said. Wilder added that longer book return hours were implemented according to requests from students, who stated it would be helpful to have more access to the book drop, especially near the end of the semester as students are moving out. 

In the coming weeks, students will form opinions on being forced to scan into Morse Library after 6 p.m. Although this has been a change that has been in the works, the newness to students will be a transition for most, especially those who do not read Student Digest.

_{Featured image: WIFR}