Best Practice Research

There was extensive research done by Bethany Sewell at the University of

Denver on making 24-hour access available to the library Mondays-Fridays. The study
analyzed the literature on the topic of having a 24-hour library, which includes having
staff available at all hours. However, our proposal differs in that our need is a 24-hour
lab, which eliminates the need to have the staff working. Although there are differences,
the benefits can apply to both the 24-hour library and lab. According to Sewell, students
live in a 24-hour culture and studies at MIT showed that a lot of studying was done
between 11:00pm-4:00am. Currently, Carrier closes at 2am, so a 24-hour lab would
meet these demands. A different survey conducted by Ann Curry showed that 20
percent of her respondents stated that they could only study during late-night hours.
Having 24 hour access at Carrier could also be beneficial to graduate students who may
have families and full time jobs.

We can see the benefits of having a 24-hour room here on our own campus. ECL
has a lab that is used by students during the day and also at night. Based on
observations, when the librarys closing hours were approaching, students would
relocate to the 24 hour lab. This did not cause too much disturbance since they did not
have to leave the building to continue their studying. The 24-hour lab was especially
useful on weekends because ECL at 8pm. Many students utilize the computer lab, study
rooms, etc. in the 24-hour room. Many students use the 24-hour lab in ECL closer to
finals, so adding one in Carrier would help with space as well.