The university has decided to shorten the operating hours of Quinn Library after observing low usage numbers late at night. The three branches of student government have responded with disapproval, stating that the decision was made without their consultation and contradicts promises made in previous semesters.

Last semester, the Quinn Library had a 24-hour study zone, open to students from 11 p.m. on Sunday to 10 a.m. on Friday. The library, however, will now be closed from 2-6 a.m. every night, restoring the schedule in place before the library moved to the 140 W. building in July 2016.

“The Library administration considers the student body from all departments and schools to be our primary constituency and we are committed to supplying all of our resources toward their academic success,” Robert Allen, assistant director of Quinn Library, said in an email statement.

He explained that the library staff monitored patron usage between 3-6 a.m. last semester, and found that “there was little to no demand for maintaining a 24-hour schedule.”
“According to the data collected over several months, there was an average of seven patrons using the 24-Hour Study Zone from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.,” Allen said in the statement.

“Some nights the only person in Quinn during those hours was the Security Guard.”
The library, however, will maintain a 24-hour operation during midterms, Reading Week and finals, according to Allen. He added that the Maloney Law Library experimented with a 24-hour schedule and independently found similar results.

United Student Government (USG), Residence Hall Association (RHA) and Commuting Students Association (CSA) at Fordham Lincoln Center (FLC) sent a joint statement to Allen and Nicholas Alongi, head of access, information, and collection services and operations at Quinn, on Jan. 30 stating that they “are disappointed with the recent changes to the operating hours of the Study Commons of Quinn Library.” They also requested a meeting to discuss the matter and are currently working with Allen and Linda LoSchiavo, Director of University Libraries, to schedule a date and time.

“We are unsure why such a dec sion was undertaken without consultation with the elected representatives of students,” the statement reads. They further state that they were not notified of the changes, and “instead found out from fellow students who were ejected from the Study Commons in the middle of the night.”

The students also explain that they were promised a space with 24-hour access when Quinn Library moved to its current location. “To revoke access to the Study Commons without consultation is very troubling and contradictory to the conversations [USG] has had in the previous semesters,” the statement reads.

Hmu, who sent the statement on behalf of USG, RHA and CSA, said that they hope to reverse the decision in meeting with Allen and LoSchiavo.