If you wanted to go to the library at three in the morning on a Saturday, now’s your chance. Kresge Library has extended its hours of operation and is now open 24 hours, seven days a week.

This is the second extension to the hours of operation the library has seen in the past two years. Last year, Kresge was open 24 hours, Monday through Friday.

However, the library’s Suzanne O. Frankie Café will not share Kresge’s hours.

According to Frank Lepkowski, associate dean for Kresge Library,  the café’s hours are set by Chartwells not by the library.

“We continually lobby them (Chartwells) for later hours, as it seems like students tend to want them later,” he said. “It’s a work in progress.”

These new hours  coincide with the academic school year and have special dates in which it will be closed due to the holidays.

Last year’s hours expansion was due to continuous efforts by the OU Student Congress.

“Based on that success, we’ve approved a subsequent request to move to a 24/7 operation at the library,” Gary Russi, university president, said. “Any time we’re able to make additional funding available for resources that will help OU students succeed, we’re both obligated and pleased to do that.”

When Kresge switched over to staying open 24 hours Monday through Friday,they accumulated 30,000 night visitors throughout the entire year.

Funding for the extended hours will come from the president’s office.

According to Lepkowski, there is a $15,000 increase in wages from when the library switched its hours last year. Currently, the library spends a total of $110,000 on wages.

“It’s created a need for more student workers, for sure,” he said. Currently, there are 60-65 students working during the regular fall and winter academic year.

Mark Fisher, an elementary education major, said he is looking forward to the increase in hours because of his busy schedule. Because he works more than one job, he said the increase would give him the opportunity to spend more time in the library, especially on the weekends.

“The weekend is an excellent time for many students to study, especially those with Monday through Friday work days,” Fisher said.

From midnight until 7 a.m. , only students with an OU ID will be allowed in the library to ensure security.

“We have a very close working relationship with Oakland University Police Department, they do frequent walk throughs,” Lepkowski said. “We are definitely on their radar.”

According to Kresge’s website, the library has been open 24/7 since the beginning of August.

 

Contact Campus Editor Stephanie Preweda via email at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @stephsocool