Pilot Evaluation
During Spring Quarter 2011, a pilot program was conducted at the Thompson Library offering extended service hours until 2 a.m. Sunday through Thursday evenings (previously Thompson Library closed at midnight). This was in response to a request from Undergraduate Student Government (USG) for year-round extended hours at Thompson.  The Office of Academic Affairs (OAA) and the Libraries jointly funded the pilot in order to determine the level of use of extended hours.

The Libraries compiled detailed information during the pilot.  Use of the library during finals week was not counted, as Thompson has traditionally been open for study until 2 a.m. that week, and will continue to be.  Between midnight and 2 a.m., the average daily headcount at Thompson was 200 customers at 12:30 a.m., declining to less than 100 by 1:30 a.m.  The staff’s observations, circulation data and previous customer surveys at both the Thompson and the Science and Engineering libraries, showed primary use during that time was for study and access to computers, rather than access to library collections or services.

The original estimate of $50,000 per quarter to offer extended hours at Thompson proved correct. The Libraries would need a permanent annual budget increase of $150,000 to extend Thompson’s hours on an ongoing basis.

Decision
Based on this data and the current budget climate, I did not recommend permanently extending the hours at Thompson to OAA.  Provost Joseph Alutto has accepted that recommendation.  Therefore, evening hours at the Thompson Library have been returned to the original schedule, again open Sundays-Thursdays until midnight.

I believe the pilot was a fair test of the amount of use extended hours would receive.  Thanks to OAA’s support of the pilot, we were able to evaluate actual use rather than projections of what usage might be. The Libraries promoted the extended hours extensively before and during the pilot, including advertising in the Lantern, listings in Buckeye Net News, postings on the Libraries’ web site, and signage throughout the building. In addition, USG used the resources at its disposal to help heighten awareness of the extended hours.  But ultimately the limited use of Thompson after midnight could not justify the costs of continuing to provide the service. OAA’s generous funding of the pilot gave us the opportunity to “test the waters.”

The Science and Engineering Library (SEL) has been open 24/7 since it began serving the campus more than 15 years ago.  SEL has a seating capacity of more than 1,000, more than enough to accommodate the late night study needs of both SEL and Thompson Library users.  During this pilot, use of SEL did not change.  This summer the Libraries has invested additional funds into the renovation and restoration of SEL including new carpeting on all floors.  As funds are available, we expect to tackle the issues of new furniture and improvements to the first floor.  In addition, the University is creating new collaborative space in the north academic core.

I appreciate USG’s request that we consider keeping Thompson open later.  It’s always good to know that the resources the Libraries offer are well received.  We strive to respond to our customers’ concerns in a positive manner whenever possible.  We are always open to suggestions on ways we can improve our services. I encourage students, faculty and staff to continue providing input that will help us enhance University Libraries.