Ever wondered why Parks Library is not open 24 hours a day? Students need not look further than the university’s pocketbook for the answer.

“If you start thinking about keeping the library open 24 hours a day during fall and spring terms, and if you assume that you’re using students and just paying them minimum wage, it’s an added cost for the library of $3,000 each week or about $54,000 each semester,” said David Gregory, head of access services at Parks Library. Gregory said though it may be convenient to have the library open 24 hours, such a change would require additional funding from other sources.

“I’m not sure where we would even get the money,” Gregory said. “But it would probably impact some other library services.”

But the finances are just one issue.

“The larger the building and the smaller the population, the greater the concern you have with safety and security issues,” Gregory said.

Though crime does occur in the library during the day, Gregory said, it could be expected to escalate if the building was open 24 hours. “This is usually petty crime, usually theft, but it could be harassment,” he said.

Another issue concerning library hours is the use of the SCHOLAR On-Line system. “The system has to be brought down roughly four hours each night for maintenance activity,” Gregory said.

He said use of library facilities tails off drastically after 10 p.m.

“I think that between midnight and 7 a.m. we could expect to have maybe several dozen people here, but it would probably be even less than that, Gregory said. The Graduate Student Senate recently made a request to extend library hours during dead week and finals week. “We have done that now on a trial basis for this fall semester and next spring semester,” Gregory said.

The library will be open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, and will open at 10 a.m. on Sunday during dead week and finals week.

But, Gregory said, the library is not a study hall.

“We recognize that we have to provide a certain amount of public seating and study space, but we are not the only service on campus that provides that.”