A student sits in the Calvin Coolige Library trying to finish homework.
Brock Pollard / Spartan Contributor

wwBustling bodies and rustling papers are a welcome consistency in Calvin Coolidge library at 8 a.m. Hurried expressions painted on faces can be seen melting into relief as the printer spits out completed homework for morning classes.

The library is a necessity for the success of most students to cope with the rigors of a college education. Students rely on the library to be a place that is relaxing, and quiet.

But is Calvin Coolidge Library open enough to enable students to efficiently complete their work?

Some students don’t think so.

“Just last week I was kicked out of the library in the middle of completing a paper at 11:30p.m.,” said sophomore Cody Driscoll, his words caked with irritation.

Calvin Coolidge Library is currently open 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1-11:30 p.m. Sunday.

Library Director Sandy Duling said the hours are dictated largely by the financial cost of operation.

“It would be nice to please everyone, but the economic reality is that it isn’t a wise use of finances to do more hours,” said Duling, who has worked at Castleton since the late 1980’s.

Some students had specific days they believe should have increased hours.

“I’d like to see the library open earlier on Sundays,” said sophomore business major Isaac Devoid. “With the library opening at 1 p.m. on Sundays, it makes hours a little inconvenient. Sometimes I’d like to get some studying or homework done before 1 o’clock on a Sunday, ya know?”

Driscoll took issue with weekend hours in general.

“In my opinion, there is no reason the library should close at 5 p.m. on Fridays and 6 p.m. on Saturdays,” he continued, “If I were trying to balance a job with studies, it would be very difficult to work with the current hours.”

Exercise Science major Jessica Phillips said her issue comes from the library opening its doors at the same time as the day’s classes begin. “I often have 8 a.m. classes and need to go to the library and print things off and I can’t due to the current hours,” she said.

Corey Miner, a library student staff member, said she would talk with staff members to see if there was anything they could do to increase hours.

A main question with opening the library earlier or closing later remains whether people would utilize those hours to make the change worth it.

Phillips assures that she would use the library before 8 a.m. if it was open, while Driscoll says that he’d like to see the library open from 7 a.m. until midnight every day.

Amir Pasic, a senior transfer to Castleton, said that the libraries at his two previous schools, Central Arkansas and University of Connecticut, stayed open far later than Castleton.

“I would not say I am upset with the hours, but I do think that 11:30 is a bit early for a library to close,” he said.

When asked what she would say to a student who is unhappy and inconvenienced with the current hours, Duling says there are ways to work around the issue.

“Nowadays, people can get a lot of information 24/7 online from the library databases with just a username and password, so library hours are less of an issue now than they have been in the past,” she says. ​