On any given school day, there are always a dozen or so students waiting outside El Camino College’s Schauerman Library to open its doors.
The fact that Schauerman Library does not open before 8 a.m. is a burden for those who rely on its resources.
Many students patiently wait to enter the library to either rush in to print in the computer lab downstairs or head into the reading rooms to study and work on their assignments.
Because they are waiting to occupy the printers and photocopiers at the library, students wind up arriving late for classes.
I have been late six times this semester due to waiting for the library to open so that I could print assignments.
For those who are enrolled in classes that start before 8 a.m., but have the misfortune of not owning a printer at home, having homework, lecture notes and other assignments printed out before class may be difficult.
Full-time jobs and parenthood are some of the priorities that limit students’ availability. These responsibilities often do not allow students to be on campus on days when they are not taking classes.
Programs on campus, including First-Year Experience (FYE), have printers available for students at 7 a.m., however, students may face the difficulty of not being eligible to apply for FYE, as well as the possibility that students may not be aware of these kind of programs.
Practically speaking, students who pay and are enrolled in classes that begin before 8 a.m. should have access to the same open facilities as those who are enrolled in classes that begin later in the day.
Cerritos College, Long Beach City College, and Los Angeles City College all open their libraries at 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, encouraging students who are enrolled in classes with similar start times to access their respective resources.
Los Angeles Southwest College, a gated campus, opens its library doors at 7:45 a.m., giving students more than enough time to use its printers, photocopiers, and other resources.
If a gated campus is able to fulfill the needs of its students, ECC should also be able to provide its student population with more library hours.
If the Schauerman Library’s doors were to open at 7:45 a.m., it would be an improvement for many students.
In spring 2017 semester, Cerritos College was able to obtain extended hours at its main library during the final two weeks of class. Library hours were extended until midnight after being voted in favor by the student government at Cerritos, according to an article from Talon Marks, Cerritos’ student-run newspaper.
The extension of the library hours proved to be a success as students were made aware of the changes and attendance during the trial run for the extended library hours at Cerritos improved.
The same process was passed by Cerritos’ student government again the following semester, further extending the library hours until 2 a.m during the final couple weeks of the semester.
Director of Library and Learning Resources Crystle Martin said there are currently no plans for Schauerman Library to open before 8 a.m.
Library hours will be extended until midnight, Monday through Thursday, during finals week in collaboration with ASO (Associated Student Organization).
Issues that revolve around campus facilities, especially improving library hours, focus on necessary budget adjustments because of the possibility that more staff and faculty will be needed.
According to an article by The Union, Schauerman Library was affected by budget cuts that forced the library to open at 8 a.m., rather than the previous time of 7:30 a.m. during the fall 2009 semester.
We are in a different time now. Ten years have passed and new administrators have taken the reins at ECC. It is time for Schauerman Library to once again open its doors before 8 a.m.
