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Weldon goes 24 hours, responds to student pleas

It was 2 a.m. at Allyn and Betty Taylor Library when third-year medical science student Arjun Chandra was kicked out with dozens of other students. They were forced to study at home or in the University Community Centre.

Unsatisfied with the closing time, Chandra and other students started campaigning to create Western’s first 24-hour library. Their efforts ended in victory today when Western announced D.B. Weldon Library will remain open for 24 hours this exam season.

From April 9 to 29, Weldon’s extended hours will be from 2 a.m. until 9 a.m. It’s the first time main campus will have a 24-hour library.

The resolution came after months of discussion between students and librarians. A petition to extend library hours was started last year by Chandra and Fabio Magistri, a second-year science student. Months later, they finally had an answer about the Taylor library. The answer was no.

But that wasn’t the end of their quest. Taylor presented a host of security issues because of its location in the Natural Science Building and the tunnels connecting it to other buildings. However, Weldon’s single entrance and exit curbed a number of safety concerns, making it a more viable option.

“The tunnel between Weldon and UCC will be closed,” Kim Cornell, assistant university librarian for Taylor library, said. “Taylor has tunnels into many areas and is not as well contained.”

Armed with 1,000 signatures, Chandra and Magistri recruited support from Arjun Gupta, a Western senator-at-large and fourth-year science student. Together they hit the pavement and shopped the idea around to student councils and librarians to raise the extra funds. It will cost an estimated $10,000 to keep the library open all night during the exam period.

“We got a very lukewarm response from [the USC] initially,” Gupta said of his presentation to council late last year.

Slowly, support grew among faculty councils and enough money was raised to make the effort feasible. Western Libraries filled in the remainder of the cash.

With enough money in their coffers, organizers turned their focus to security. Campus Community Police Services were consulted to come up with a plan to address the number of students studying late at night and without public transportation home.

A guard will check Western IDs at Weldon’s entrance starting at 9 p.m. Since Taylor library will also extend its hours until 2 a.m., a guard will check IDs at Taylor’s entrance also starting at 9 p.m. Only students with valid student IDs will be allowed inside.

“Students are going to work to create a study awareness plan,” Catherine Wilkins, assistant librarian for Weldon, said. “Students can study with a colleague — study safe, study strong.”

Part of the awareness campaign will encourage students to study in groups and walk home in pairs.

The extended hours are part of a pilot project and the first step toward permanent funding for a 24-hour library on campus. Once exam season ends, student organizers and librarians will examine usage numbers, student feedback and any problems to evaluate the program.

Gupta plans to present the idea and results at Western’s Senate meeting in April, where decisions to fund university programs are made.

For more information, visit www.weldon247.ca

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