Cabell Library Opening 24 Hours a Day, Five Days a Week

By Leila Ugincius

The university library is typically the center of academic life on any campus, and Virginia Commonwealth University is no exception.

At the James Branch Cabell Library on the Monroe Park Campus, students have a variety of places to settle with the amenities they require nearby. It has considerable space dedicated to collaborative and partnership work allowing students to work together with the seating and technology they need to complete their academic assignments. In addition to space where people can work together in smaller groups while not disturbing others, an entire floor is designated as silent for students who need absolute quiet for their academic work.

But with all its amenities and technological advancements, Cabell still lacked in one key area: Its operating hours were limited.

That all changed this weekend, when Cabell launched its 24/5 expanded hours. Through the rest of the semester, Cabell will operate without closing from 10 a.m. Sundays to 10 p.m. Fridays. On Saturdays, the library will open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"Students have asked us for longer hours in many ways," said John E. Ulmschneider, university librarian, citing assessment surveys, online comments, emails, advisory committees and meetings with the SGA.

"Many of VCU's students work as well as attend school, so time is a scarce resource for them," Ulmschneider said. "Students often find it challenging to schedule their academic study/work time to coincide with the library's open hours, so longer hours better accommodate the intense schedules many students lead. … VCU's students work very hard on their academic assignments. Longer library hours will improve the university's support for that hard work, particularly as students cope with the fluctuating demands of the semester — tough deadlines don't just occur during the exam period."

Because VCU Libraries does not have the funding to provide around-the-clock service for the entire semester, the Office of the Provost stepped forward to make the service possible.

"Anyone who visits Cabell Library can see that it is highly utilized and that students are particularly interested in the use of collaborative learning spaces," said Beverly J. Warren, Ed.D., Ph.D., FACSM, provost and vice president for academic affairs. "With the expanded hours, we will be better able to serve the many students who need to have around-the-clock access to the excellent services the library offers."

Whether the program is a success that will continue into next semester will depend on the door-count numbers and the results of library surveys of overnight users.

"The guiding principle will be whether around-the-clock service is making an important difference to enough students to continue it," Ulmschneider said. "I am hopeful that we'll see good use and that around-the-clock service will improve the overall student experience and, of course, help students be more successful in their academic programs."

The expanded hours were driven by student demand and the responsiveness of the Cabell Library staff, Warren said.

"Our strategic plan, Quest for Distinction, has a laser focus on academic quality and student success and meeting students’ needs is a key component of that focus," she said. "As we move into a deeper implementation of the plan with an increased emphasis on academic rigor and student success, the expanded library hours will be an essential element to meet the needs of both our students and our faculty.

"The bottom line is, in order to advance student learning, faculty scholarship and cutting edge research, we must invest in our libraries."