DOCUMENT NO:  I-03-11

 

LETTER OF SUPPORT TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE

 

TITLE:  Extension of Roesch Library Hours During the Final Examination Period

 

SUBMITTED BY:  Student Academic Policies Committee

 

DATE:  December 12, 2003

 

REFERENCES:  Included

 

ACTION REQUESTED:  Consultative

 

RESOLVED:  In keeping with spirit of Senate Document I-03-09, the Statement of Recommendations on Finals Week, it is resolved that the Academic Senate of the University of Dayton supports the initiation of 24 hour service at Roesch Library during the final examination period.  A preliminary budget and a letter from Kathy Webb, Head of Client Services at Roesch Library, are included below.

 

 

 

 

I.  Possible Scenario for 24 Hour Library Access During 9 Day Finals Period

 

No services are provided after 2:00 am and before 7:00 am on Monday – Friday.

No services are provided after midnight and before 8:00 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

 

Two security guards are hired to work from 2:00 am – 7:00 am Monday through Friday and from midnight to 8:00 am Saturday and Sunday. One security guard is stationed in Lobby at Access Services Desk.  The second security guard patrols the building to ensure the safety of students and collections.

 

Floors one through six in the Library are open and the book stacks, bound journal stacks, computers, and printers are accessible. 

 

There are no cash transactions, book checkouts, or access to Current Periodicals during this time.

 

Current Access Services staff work an additional 9-10 hours.

 

 

Budget:  One time costs

 

Gate and reconfiguring of Current Periodicals to restrict access

 

$20,000 estimate from facilities.  Includes asbestos contractor.

 

 

Budget: Ongoing cost for each semester

 

Staff

Number of Staff

Number of Hours

Salary per hour

Total Cost

Contracted Security Guards

2

53

$20 - $25

$2120-$2650

Current Library Staff

1

10

$15

$150

Total Staff Cost

Per semester

 

 

 

 

$2270-$2800

 

 

 

 

 

II.  Letter from Kathy Webb

 

I understand that one of the recommendations from the Campus Calendar Committee was to extend the Library’s hours during the nine day final exam period.  Having the Library open continuously during that time will provide much needed space for studying, as well as access to the resources, both print and electronic, that the library houses.  The issues and costs surrounding this request are explained below. 

 

Currently the building remains open (floors one through six) until midnight on Sunday through Thursday nights.  At midnight floors four through six are closed and all library users are asked to move to either the first or second floor.  The closing of the upper floors is done by a Security Guard and a Library Supervisor.  After the upper floors are closed one Supervisor and the Security Guard leave for the evening.  The hours from midnight until 2:00 am are staffed with the one remaining Supervisor and two or three students.  One student is stationed at the Current Periodicals area, and the Supervisor and the other student are at the Access Services Desk in the Lobby.  Sometimes there is also a student monitoring the second floor DEC computer area.  When the Library closes at 2:00 am the students and the Supervisor clear the floors, turn off the 75+ computers, turn off the lights, lock the doors, and set the security alarm.

 

The Current Periodicals desk is staffed all hours that the Library is open to provide security to the collection of loose (unbound) journals and magazines that are housed in that area.  While some of the high-theft materials in this area have security strips in them, the vast majority do not. Journals and magazines cannot be bound with the metal strips in place so the security strips need to be removed before each volume year is sent to the bindery.  This is a costly process.  Therefore, most of the approximately 20,000 issues in this area are vulnerable to theft and mutilation unless there is staff there to monitor the area.   As the area is currently configured there is no way to close it off so that the collection is unavailable.

 

The Access Services desk in the lobby is another vulnerable area that is not configured to be closed off.  From this area there is open access to the Library’s closed reserve materials, OhioLINK materials waiting for pickup, new materials being processed, and the staff areas of three departments.  From this area a person can access the desk, computers and work areas of seventeen Library staff members. 

 

Clearly Roesch Library was not designed to operate on minimal staff.  The number of floors, the size of the floors, the location of the light switches, the vulnerability of the Current Periodical collection, and the open access to staff-only spaces necessitates a certain level of staffing. These vulnerable areas and the staff needed to close each floor have dictated the staffing needs of the library.  

 

Generally there is not a problem maintaining sufficient staff in the Library until the approach of finals week. As the end of the semester approaches, the Library’s student staff is less and less likely to be able to work their scheduled shifts.  The Library has a policy that during finals a student must work at least 50% of their hours unless they have made prior arrangements with the Supervisor.  Even with this requirement staffing is very minimal during this time period. 

                  

Currently the Library extends its hours until midnight on Friday and Saturday around finals.  Library personnel are used to staff those hours and they receive additional pay.  Depending on the final exam schedule it means the Library is open an extra 10 to 14 hours during finals.   Current staffing is adequate to handle these additional hours.  To remain open 24 hours during the nine day exam period would require an additional 63 hours.  Obviously current personnel could not begin to cover that number of hours and it is not possible to rely on students to staff those hours.