Library hours place burden on students

Welcome to Kentucky, “where education pays” and the flagship university of the state does not have a library that operates 24 hours a day — except during midterms and finals week.

Superficially, it is a smart move to help out with the state- imposed budget cuts that cost the William T. Young Library 4 percent, or $700,000, of its budget. The result of this cut is a change in hours that will close the library between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

But having a 24-hour library only during midterms and finals only fosters a sense of procrastination, as this policy implies that it’s acceptable to cram during those two weeks.

Additionally, a large portion of the student body does more than just go to school. On top of being full-time students, there are work, clubs, student organizations and personal lives, making studying during conventional library hours not the most viable option.

There are also students without easy access to computers, Internet, printers, copiers, microfilm, large selections of books and all of the resources the library offers. These students now have to find alternative methods to study and take advantage of the library’s services. Such a move implicitly discriminates against students already hindered with academic disadvantages, leaving them even further behind.

The budget cut came on the heels of another tuition increase and is another example of the cost of education going up, but the services of the institution are decreasing.

On a larger scale, a 9 percent increase in tuition, combined with the state’s $20 million cut in the university’s budget, does not seem to mesh with each other.

The university wants to achieve a Top 20 Business Plan with the tuition increasing near double digits annually, and the state takes a stance that says, “Welcome to Kentucky: where education, K-12, pays.”

Carol Diedrich, dean of UK Libraries, said the hours between 2 a.m. and 7 a.m. were light traffic hours. But does that take into account students already in the library before traffic slows down?

Perhaps UK should return to operating a smaller library like the Lucille Little Fine Arts Library for 24 hours a day Sunday through Thursday. Such a change would provide the predicted small number of students affected with a place to study after hours, without taking an incredible hit to an already tight budget.

Or maybe a facility should be added that would effectively offer students late night service, without the high costs of operating a facility the size of Young Library. Moving toward digital storage of books and journals will make this a greater possibility.

A top-20 university should have at least one 24-hour library. Libraries and education may not exactly correlate, but it is tough to study and research without a positive environment dedicated to learning.