Brown students may have lost an hour to daylight-saving time last weekend, but they gained four extra hours of potential study time. For the months of March and April, the Friedman Study Center will open two hours earlier on weekends, at 8 a.m., as part of a pilot program started in response to medical student interest.
The change in hours will only affect the Friedman Center Level A, the entrance and the Mezzanine, which will be monitored by two Sterling Security guards who manage the front desk.
The later opening times had been based on the library's data, which indicated low traffic flow on weekend mornings. In fact, just a few years ago, the libraries did not open until noon, said Tovah Reis, Medical School librarian.
But with med students' board examinations now earlier in the year, they need more time in the library, she said.
"What we heard from medical school students is that they are really into studying on weekends," Reis said. Having the library open at 10 a.m. was too late for them, she added.
A class representative for second-year medical students got in touch with University Librarian Harriette Hemmasi about a month ago asking for extended hours, Reis said. After meeting with Med School officials, Hemmasi approved the idea. The Library and the Med School will fund the costs of the added hours together, Hemmasi wrote in an e-mail.
Though the change was catalyzed by med students, librarians hope that others will benefit, too.
"We put the message on Morning Mail because we want other students to take advantage of this as well," Reis said.
Olga Koshevaya '09, a member of the Faculty Library Committee, said she does not usually go to the library that early on the weekends, but said that when she had heavier course loads, like during midterms and finals, she "would find (the earlier hours) useful."
Sarah Lester '08 said she had been annoyed in the past that the library was not open when she got up early on the weekend to work. But she added that "typically, people probably don't study super early on weekends."
The library plans to use March and April to monitor student use and compare it with previous statistics, Reis said.
"It's not going to be like 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. during the week, but I think it will be clear whether or not students are making use of the change," she added.
In addition to monitoring use, Reis said the library hopes to hear from students themselves and will evaluate the effectiveness of the program at the end of the semester.
