February 28 , 2005

Letter

Dear Editor,

I’m disappointed that North Lake Community Library closes at 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and that there is no way for students to know this as the closing sticker located at the library’s door has been removed.

I arrived one Saturday in February at 2 p.m. intending to do some research, only to find the library closed. In the twenty or so minutes I sat there, I observed a dozen different students walking up to the doors of the library. They all turned around, annoyed at not being able to use the library.

Our library closing at 1 p.m. ties us with three other Dallas County Community Colleges for shortest weekend hours in the district. Only Cedar Valley has hours shorter than ours. Tarrant County College libraries are open until 3 p.m. Collin County Community College District libraries are open until 5 p.m. on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays.

Just because there is not a full load of classes in session on a Saturday does not mean the library is not needed by students. As long as there are students enrolled, the need for the library will be high. The libraries at local four-year universities are generally open until 2 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, and midnight Friday and Saturday. Why are Dallas County college system libraries barely open on a Saturday morning and not even on a Sunday?

Many students who take classes at North Lake must compensate their schedules with work and family or are involved in other campus activities. This forces some of the student body to wait until the weekend to do academic research.

Is the goal and purpose of the library to help students academically? If so, it needs to have better hours to help meet the needs of the students. Most community college students do not have access to these four-year university libraries. We could use the public library system; however, the resources available are not of the academic caliber that most of us require in our research and other projects we pursue.

I am aware that next year’s budget is being planned. I would ask our administration to give serious consideration to an increase in the budget for operating hours of the library

David Olmstead
President, Phi Theta Kappa

LETTER POLICY
The News-Register welcomes letters to the editor for publication.

Letters must be typed or legibly written and limited to 300 words.

Shorter letters are appreciated.

Full name and telephone number must be provided for confirmation. The editor and faculty advisor will decide if a name will be withheld upon request.

Obscene, libelous and/or racially, sexually, or religiously offensive material will not be published. Letters may be rejected for style and taste and edited for length and clarity.