W. Frank Steely Library will begin opening at 7:30 a.m. on April 1.

The library currently opens at 8 a.m. Monday through Friday, but they will be extending their hours, on a trial basis, through the end of the spring semester. The extended hours will continue when fall semester begins.

The trial is in response to a resolution passed by the Student Government Association in February, requesting the change in hours. In addition to the extra half hour in the morning, the resolution also proposed that the library offer 24-hour services.

“It’s still too early to push for 24-hour services, but opening the library at 7:30 a.m. will help students prepare for class,” said SGA Senator Adam Acree. “There’s always a need to be there, especially early in the morning.”

Some students do not see the need to be at the library early in the morning, though. Freshman political science major Elizabeth Mayberry uses the library about three days per week, sometimes for up to seven hours.

“It’s a quiet place to go to,” Mayberry said. “I always study here.”

However, according to Mayberry, an extension of the library’s hours would not affect her, because the library is already open during the afternoon, the hours in which she is usually there.

Other students, such as sophomore marketing major Kaitlyn McKinnon, are in favor of 24-hour services rather than an earlier opening hours. McKinnon, who uses the computers and Information Technology Center daily, thinks that increasing the library’s hours would be especially helpful if they were open later, or all night.

However, the proposal is just a recommendation, and SGA is not recommending 24-hour services right away, according to SGA Legislative Liaison Jamie Hazenfield.

“We’re open to it, but we want to make sure it’s going to be the best solution possible,” said Associate Provost for Library Services Arne Almquist.

Almquist said that he has seen people outside waiting for the library to open in the morning before. However, many services that were previously available only at the library can be accessed online, including 92 percent of the research journals offered by Steely Library.

“We want to get more data,” Almquist said. “We need to figure out what services people need the library for.”

Some library employees are unsure of the necessity for extended hours.

Veronica Cappel, who works at the library, said she doesn’t think students will come to the library earlier specifically for library resources. According to Cappel, many students come to the library to print materials. Steely Caffé, which already opens at 7:30 a.m., offers computers and a printer.

In addition to the computers and printers located in the library and in Steely Caffé, there are open computer labs in the Business-Education-Psychology building and the Dorothy Westerman Hermann Science Center. Two computer labs are also available, by reservation, in Founders Hall. Departmental computer labs are available as well, to students of given majors. Additional computer labs are available in residence halls.

For students who need to print an important paper for a class, though, Cappel has some seemingly simple advice.

“Don’t wait until the last minute to print assignments,” Cappel said.

For locations and hours of computer labs on campus, go to http://it.nku.edu/students/labs/index.php.

Story by Roxanna Blevins