Student Government Association officials announced Friday Gelman Library will return to 24-hour operations in the coming weeks after the library opened for the fall semester with temporarily reduced hours.
SGA President Ethan Lynne announced in an Instagram post Friday that the library will return to 24/7 operating hours sometime within the next “few weeks.” In an email obtained by The Hatchet, Lynne said he met with library officials that confirmed they are currently hiring more staff and Gelman will return to 24/7 operation “soon.”
A library employee said in an email obtained by The Hatchet the library moved to reduced operating hours due to “temporary staffing issues,” following officials implementing a University-wide hiring freeze in July, leaving Gelman understaffed for the beginning of the fall semester.
Under the reduced hours, the library is currently open from 7 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.
Dean of Libraries and Academic Innovation Geneva Henry confirmed service desk hours, including the check out desk, Ask Us, CREATE Digital Studios and Special Collections, remain unchanged.
Officials in July instituted a hiring freeze for positions supported by operating funds until at least Oct. 1 as GW faces “unsettling” financial challenges stemming from a yearslong structural budget deficit and federal attacks on higher education. Earlier this month a University spokesperson said officials could extend the hiring freeze to maintain long and short-term financial stability.
GW Libraries has faced staffing issues and lowered morale since pre-pandemic layoffs, especially during the overnight shifts — which has dealt with high turnover rates due to the shift’s demanding schedule.
In 2021, the Faculty Senate’s Libraries Committee said the University’s pandemic-induced hiring freeze in March 2020 prevented the libraries from filling vacant positions LAI had planned to fill before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials last slashed Gelman’s hours in 2015, when the University reduced the library’s weekend hours, but remained open 24 hours a day during the week. However, officials quickly reversed their decision less than a day after an online petition went live and garnered over 1,500 signatures.
