The Student Room Group

Does your uni library stay open all night? Should it?

There's been an article in the BBC today about Reading University Library.... which got us to wonder......

Do you guys study around the clock and can you pull all-nighters in your uni library?

If it was open 24/7 do you think your study patterns would change?

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for my uni - yes it does.. and yes it should..

Ok, so in an ideal world no one would need to study during the middle of the night..

But its not an ideal world, and people either through their own fault, or through circumstances they could not predict, will be helped by a 24h library..


I dont think it should be encorgaged to change study patterns, but rather viewed as an emergency provision in case people desperately need it..
Original post by fallen_acorns
for my uni - yes it does.. and yes it should..

Ok, so in an ideal world no one would need to study during the middle of the night..

But its not an ideal world, and people either through their own fault, or through circumstances they could not predict, will be helped by a 24h library..


I dont think it should be encorgaged to change study patterns, but rather viewed as an emergency provision in case people desperately need it..



Thanks for replying :smile: Have you ever had to use it?

We didn't have the provision at Birmingham whilst I was there..... nor at Aston. If it had been I think I may have still worked from home from midnight or something... just so I could crawl into bed in the early hours rather than make the journey home.

Also I guess it depends to on how close your library is to where you live.... so if you go to a campus based university the all night opening hours and on-site accommodation could make it more accessible and safer for students?
Reply 3
At my undergrad university, the library didn't stay open all night, but I think it should have - most of the books there, we were unable to borrow, so if you were trying to finish an essay in a hurry, not having access to the books was a real pain. I never did an all-nighter as an undergrad, but many of my classmates did and would have liked a 24 hour library, as we attended a campus uni & many would have simply stayed all night working and then handed in work early the next day rather than having to go home when the library closed, working, and then having to come back again.

My current university does have a 24 hour library, and while I wouldn't say it's changed my study habits (I've rarely been in there past 11pm say), I know of many people who use it overnight, and it's comforting to know it's there if I am having a last-minute crisis about something. We do all live closer to it as well, compared with my undergrad one.
At my university our libraries only stay open all night around exam season and while I believe this is a good idea and have used it on the odd occasion I'd still rather just study in my room at those hours of the night, mainly because it's more comfortable and not as noisy either. I never knew how much noise people could make at 2am but its far too much for me to focus on my own revision. But like others have said, it's a nice thought knowing if nothing turns out the way I planned then there is still somewhere to study with plenty of resources too.
Reply 5
Cambridge Law Faculty / Library was built at a cost of millions as their centre piece. The acoustics were a disaster and cost more money to fix. It closes at 6 PM Saturday and is not open on Sundays. Genius.
Reply 6
Original post by Old_Simon
Cambridge Law Faculty / Library was built at a cost of millions as their centre piece. The acoustics were a disaster and cost more money to fix. It closes at 6 PM Saturday and is not open on Sundays. Genius.


In Cambridge, college libraries tend to have the better provision in terms of hours open etc., with many of them being 24-hour now. The History Faculty library (not to mention the UL) has similar hours as the Law Fac, and is also a terrible place to work (in my opinion): it's either too cold or too hot, and there's always the feeling of being observed due to its being a (quasi) panopticon.
Reply 7
I wake up very early (4am) and tend to study around that time, so I find 24 hour libraries very useful. I would never do an all nighter though.

It's more of a comfort more than anything else for me - I know that if I have work to do, I can always go and use the computers/printers/books in the library. It helps to know that it's there for when I need it.
Manchester's main library shuts at midnight, but the Learning Commons (like a library buy without books is how i describe it) is open 24/7. I do like having 24/7 opening as I tend to work better late at night and I'm the veteran of many a late / all nighter

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Original post by She-Ra
Thanks for replying :smile: Have you ever had to use it?

We didn't have the provision at Birmingham whilst I was there..... nor at Aston. If it had been I think I may have still worked from home from midnight or something... just so I could crawl into bed in the early hours rather than make the journey home.

Also I guess it depends to on how close your library is to where you live.... so if you go to a campus based university the all night opening hours and on-site accommodation could make it more accessible and safer for students?


I think your point about campus universities is very correct - I attended one, and if the library had not been so close, I doubt many students would have made the effort late at night.

- Personally I never used it for myself, as I prefer to work at home, but I did go there late at night to meet others when they were busy working, and wanted some company.

I guess it just provides another option, at one point or another most students have to work some very late nights..

Some students prefer to work at home, others find it near impossible and have to get out of the house to work..

So having a 24h library, just gives those students who struggle to work in their own rooms, a place to go and conentrate on what they have to do..

(this is not to say it isnt also abused.. especially considering the proximity of the nightclub of my university to the library, many students attempted to use it as a place to relax after a night out, or carry on their nights.. which goes against the principle of why it is open late)
Our library is open 10-5, however lectures are scheduled all over the place. In the past, we've had days where we're on campus for over 24 hours, with lecture 10-5, 6-9, tutorials 11-4 then practical 5-9, then lecture 10-5 again.
My library is 24 hours and I've used it a few times to pick up a book for an essay when the deadline was close, as well as to drop a book off late at night because it was due in by midnight (and I was using it for an essay with the deadline close). I've tried not to be as last-minute this year and haven't been in the library too late. I have given a thought to working all night and going home in the morning for intense periods of work but I know what I'm like and come 3am I'd want to go home or something. Don't really want to walk the 25 minute walk home alone, nor do I want to nap in front of everyone else in the library.
The uni am at trial 24hr at the libraries last academic year and has kept it 24hr.


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Reply 13
My university has had their library open 24/7 for the past 10 years, y'all must be living in the stone ages.
Reply 14
My university does keep the library open 24/7. I prefer to work at home and I'm a day person. I've only popped in a few times in the night to pick up a book or print something off. It's pretty busy at night.
i am not at uni yet but i would love it if my local library was open 24 hours. it closes ridiculously early. it closes at 5.30pm on most days and on wednesdays it closes at 12.00pm. like why on earth. i just avoid going to the library because of how early it closes. i can go to the library near my college which closes at 8pm on mondays to fridays and closes at 10pm on weekends but i just cant be arsed to go so i do my revision at home. cant wait for uni to be revising in the library and be pulling all nighters!!!!
I think my uni library is open 24 hours. Tbh i rarely used it. Only used it when i needed certain books and couldn't get a pdf of it online.... WE had a separate Chemistry library which had most things i needed.

Some people like pulling all-nighters so i reckon the library should be. It's useful for them.

I'm finsihing uni tomorrow morning and have pulled 0 allnighters for studying and 4 for the Superbowl since i have been here. Closest i got to an all nighter was working until half 1am on an assignment before sleeping till 8am, waking up and powering through the rest of it before 12 noon deadline.


Also, if i wanted to work all night i would do it at my desk. Library doesn't have magical studying powers...
I am not at uni at the moment but know even when my dad went to uni 14 years ago Glasgow was 24 hours then but a lot of students used it as somewhere to sleep i.e it had sofas and they had problems with people using it as a socialising area.

When I was at Chester it was either 8pm or 10pm I think.

In my opinion though it varies if should it be open or not i.e if it was good to bring own laptop in and could print off work it would be fine or to be writing an essay and just be able to walk across and grab a book I need is easier than being cramped at home plus I find it "easier" to work at uni, in that its less comfortable/personal but then I have more space and since I have less distractions like gaming on pc and my home pc is setup for entertainment not work its better.
Our library is 8am - 10pm weekdays, and 9-7 Saturdays, 12-5 Sundays.

Our IT suite is open 24hrs though.
My uni library is 24 hours and yeah I think it should be, it's good for serious study students. People who need somewhere to go to study, print or use the internet for emergencies if their house/accommodation has none or isn't working. It's also good for students who genuinely work better at night (like me).

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