Cabell Library announces new operating schedule

Mechelle Hankerson
News Editor

Beginning when students return from spring break, Cabell Library will  begin operating on a 24-hour, five-days-a-week schedule.

Associate university librarian for public services Dennis Clark said the change was in response to student demand.

“A lot of students have been very vocal in what kind of library services they’d like to see at VCU,” he said.

VCU’s Student Government Association identified the library’s hours as something they wanted to focus on over the summer during a leadership retreat.

“We heard it reiterated pretty frequently by students,” Kyle Gigliotti, SGA vice president, said. “To be honest, I’m not sure if I thought it was really going to happen.”

After the library and SGA identified students’ desire for a library with more operating hours, the decision was brought to the university Provost, who was able to find funding for the project on a pilot-basis.

“The catalyst was the Board of Visitors report,” Gigliotti said. “We had brought up the idea that students wanted a 24-hour library, and one of the board members was surprised that we didn’t have that.”

Many other institutions in the state operate on 24-hour library schedules, Gigliotti said.

“VCU was kind of lacking in that regard.”

In addition to extended general hours, some library departments will also be adopting an extended schedule.

“We’re basically increasing the number of hours we are open by almost 30 percent,” Clark said.

Cabell will stay open on Fridays and Saturdays until 10 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. The Special Collections and Archives department will be open on Saturdays.

According to Clark, the library will also be looking to expand its staff to operate under the new schedule.

“Our current staff are already working their hours so we’re going to have to be doing some strategic hiring for the pilot program,” he said. The library will also be working closely with VCU Police to provide overnight security.

Cabell’s Starbucks will not adopt the new hours right away, but could possibly increase their operating hours as the pilot program progresses. According to Gigliotti, the store needs to have a certain amount of revenue per hour to be open. The store will be monitoring Cabell traffic before implementing any new schedule.

Although a big change, Gigliotti said there are still improvements to be made with Cabell Library, specifically in looking to complete renovations.

VCU put forth a proposal as part of their Master Site Plan to renovate Cabell Library, and the school is currently looking for funding for the future project.

“We’ve got the hours piece and the services piece, and we really want to see renovations,” Gigliotti said. “That’s not for a few years out, but I think that it really starts now.”

The extended hours initiative is backed by the VCU Student Government Association, which was funded by the university provost on a pilot basis beginning this semester.
Photos courtesy of VCU Libraries