Geisel Library will be open 24 hours a day on weekdays, starting Oct. 28, due in part to a sizable donation from the Alice G. Marquis Living Trust. The expanded hours will begin with a grand opening at midnight on Oct. 28.
This “24/5” space known as the Study Commonswill be located on the first and second floors in Geisel Library’s East Wing, with seating for over 500 students. It will be open for the entire academic year.
“Having a 24-hour study commons open during the academic year has long been at the top of students’ wish lists,” University Librarian Brian Schottlaender said. “We also realized having this space open around the clock would help to compensate for the loss of other study space on campus due to previous library consolidations.”
The Alice G. Marquis Living Trust, named for the writer and UCSD alumna who passed away in 2009, donated $1.1 million to Geisel, the largest single donation for the library to date. The contribution follows almost $3 million in library budget cuts in the previous fiscal year, which resulted in the closure of four major libraries, including International Relations & Pacific Studies Library and Center for Library & Instructional Computing Services or CLICS. The collections of each of these libraries are currently being consolidated into Geisel.
The downsizing was the result of the $60 million total that UCSD faced in budget cuts in the 2011–12 school year. The Guardian reported in January on student response to CLICS closing.
The library closures sparked the “Occupy CLICS” movement, involving approximately 50 students who reclaimed the library as a study center following its closure at the end of the 2010–11 academic year.
Closing CLICS saved the university $450,000 according to The Guardian’s Jan. 8 article, “CLICS to be Study Space After Break-in.”
Geisel had previously been open until midnight on weekdays, with 24-hour access during Week 10 and finals. Schottlaender hopes that the new times will provide students who like to study late at night or early in the morning with a secure study space on campus. Overnight areas will be limited to UC students and staff, who will need to show identification before entering.
“The 24-hour area sounds nice,” Emmy Young, a freshman studying at Geisel, said. “It seems like a good opportunity for us to have more space.” Schottlaender estimates that first year costs will total $200,000, with staffing and custodial costs at $117,000.
