An online petition to restore Gelman Library’s hours to 24 hours a day, seven days a week has received more than 1,500 signatures less than a day after going online.
The change.org petition was created in response to a University posting in the library announcing the reduced hours for the fall semester. The petition was launched Monday night after a GW alumnus posted a picture of the flyer in the library to “Overheard at GW,” a popular Facebook group where students post pictures of events and other observations on campus.
From Aug. 31 until Dec. 6, the library will be open 24 hours a day Monday through Thursday, will close at 11 p.m. on Friday, will be open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and reopen on Sunday at noon. A University spokeswoman did not immediately return requests for comment on why the hours had changed.
“Apart from faculty and course offerings, there is no single aspect of a university more important for the education and success of its students than a library,” the petition said. “In cutting Gelman Library’s 24/7 hours, the University has demonstrated their disregard for that success – the success of their own students.”
Many students who signed the petition wrote notes explaining why they backed changing Gelman’s hours back to 24/7, arguing that keeping the library open gives students who have jobs during the day a quiet place to study. Out of GW’s 14 peer institutions, New York University is the only college with a library open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Last year, Gelman Library’s budget increased for the first time in a decade, and GW plans to spend $35 million of its $1 billion fundraising campaign on libraries.
Students, faculty and administrators took to Twitter to discuss the change in hours.
Charlie @CaseySyron & @AndieDowd were in touch from @GW_Students, so feel free to connect with them as a next step. https://t.co/HaASobBzO1
— Peter Konwerski (@GWPeterK) August 19, 2015
let's take ruffles hostage until GW agrees to reopen gelman #gelmangate
— Grimo (@GrimoEggsandHam) August 19, 2015
.@GWPeterK count me as faculty bitterly opposed to the library hours reduction. That's a political statement from a non-tenured prof! Rare!
— Nikki Usher Layser (@nikkiusher) August 19, 2015
