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Some libraries across the University Park campus have started closing earlier this semester, impacting students’ routines and study habits.
The early closures according to USC Libraries is based on observation. “We look periodically at library hours and have made some changes this year after assessing usage patterns of spaces and services,” USC Libraries said in a statement to Annenberg Media.
“A lot of my classes are sort of midday, so I like to use the library right after my class is finished, just to finish any work that I need to be done,” Christian Waldron, a sophomore studying business administration, said. “And I just feel like having it close at 8 p.m. or 7 p.m. will make things a lot more difficult for me.”
Instead of closing at 10 p.m. as it has in prior semesters, Doheny Memorial Library, home to the Cinematic Arts Library, East Asian Library, Music Library and Special Collection now closes two hours earlier at 8:00 p.m.
The Library for International and Public Affairs and the Architecture and Fine Arts Library both now close at 7 p.m., three hours earlier than they did last semester. Leavey Library’s hours will remain the same, open for 24 hours five days a week.
Waldron said he had no idea that the hours had changed.
“I am someone who uses the library pretty often, and this is completely news to me,” he said.
But others, like Kaila Roberts, a senior economics major who is also a front desk circulation worker, said the changes have forced her to adjust her schedule. “It’s been pretty much like a home to me,” said Roberts “Now I have to rush and do my homework in between, or study in between my classes, which pretty much feels like cramming.”
For students who commute to campus, like junior history major Dylan Arseo, the libraries were a safe-haven to pass time as they waited for the L.A. traffic to die down. Arseo commutes from Orange County and said he typically spends time at the library after his evening classes end.
“I knew the library was open, so it was the chance to read, sit-out traffic,” he said. “Seeing that they were closing much earlier definitely had an issue on the way I plan on studying this semester.”
According to USC Libraries, Doheny Library will have extended hours during study days and exams. The current hours for all of USC’s libraries can be found here.