From Monday 7 January, the Library is testing out 24-hour opening - in a pilot that will run over the spring and summer terms.
Each week from 8.45 am when it opens its doors on a Monday until 7.30 pm on a Saturday night the Library will remain open to Sussex students and staff. Sunday opening will remain 12.30 pm to 7.30 pm.
With more than 146 hours a week, this means Sussex will have one of the longest opening hours in the whole of the 1994 Group of research-intensive universities.
Cath Morgan, Acting Librarian, stressed this is a direct response to requests by students for longer opening hours: “We want to provide students with access to library resources throughout the week - night and day. Students tell us this would be an important improvement in the Library; we are keen to see how students respond.”
The new after-hours service is primarily aimed at providing study space, with access to books and electronic resources. It will also allow users to borrow and return books using self-service machines. The café space will also remain open, with vending machines. Access will be by Sussex student and staff ID card only.
The staff on duty overnight from 9.30 pm will be dedicated security staff - responsible for the health and safety of building users, but not providing advisory or issuing services.
The Library team considered different options - including extended opening only in the run-up to exam periods - but believed it would be most straightforward for users to have a common service throughout the year.
Numbers are expected to peak in the run-up to assessments and exams. The University will be looking carefully at numbers using the Library during the pilot, and at which areas and zones are most popular. A decision on whether the pilot has been successful will be made over the summer.
The Library is also now undertaking a survey of users to look at other improvements that can be made in library services.