Posted Tuesday, Jan. 2, 11:30 a.m.

Starting mid-January, students will be able to get coffee all night long in the heart of campus.

The Starbucks coffee shop located in the ground floor of Gelman Library will be open 24 hours during the week in a 90-day trial period, said Robert Howell, a Starbucks district manager. The store will be the first 24-hour location in D.C.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “We’re going to try it, and our expectation is that it will work out.”

Beginning on Jan. 14, Starbucks will remain open from Sunday through Thursday nights for a trial period lasting until about mid-April, Howell said. The store will close at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

Throughout the trial period store officials will monitor the change and will evaluate whether to continue to the extended operating hours past 90 days.

“We’ll asses the situation as we go through,” he said. Specifically, store officials will be examining customer demand and how the staffing works out.

“We think there is enough student interest,” Howell said. He also said having the location open 24 hours makes some aspects of business operation easier.

A University spokesman said the Gelman Library Starbucks moving to 24 hours is a good sign.

“There was student feedback and reaction, and it’s good that Starbucks looked into it and took into account student feelings,” said Matt Lindsay, assistant director of Media Relations.

In November, Starbucks – which is independently owned and operated from the University – decreased its hours from being open until midnight during the week to closing at 10 p.m. In early December, Grounds for Change – a Sodexho-operated coffee shop located in J Street – began a trial period of being open from 10 p.m. to midnight, partly in response to the Gelman Starbucks’ reduced hours.

Lindsay said he did not know if Starbucks’ change of hours would affect how late Sodexho-operated venues are open.