Date:

October 12, 2016

To:

Theresa Liedtka
Dean of the Library
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

From:

Robert Vitolins
Junior Finance Student
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Subject:

Proposal for the expansion of library hours

Purpose
The purpose of my proposal is to request authorization to conduct a study to find the best way to
expand the UTC library hours from 24/5 to include 24-hour access during the weekends.

Summary
Dr. Jessica McCarthy, Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, asked me to
develop a plan to study students opinions on the current hours of access to the UTC library and
develop a recommendation on how to best tailor the hours to best fit the needs of student and
allow them to reach their academic goals.
The UTC Library currently has a 25/4 section that opens at noon on Sundays and closes at 5 p.m.
on Fridays. These current hours only provide students with an adequate place to study and do
homework during the week. Many students have found that they need the extra on the weekends
to finish all of their studies.

Therefore, I have asked to find an effective approach to making the library available to the
students during the weekends without wasting the universities resources. I would aim to
determine the expected use of expanded library hours at UTC, evaluate the use of 24/7 libraries
at other universities and examine the steps that those universities have taken to implement the
extended hours.
To conduct this research, I would expand on the leads that are listed within this document. These
leads touch on students from other schools that desire better library hours as well as school that
have already implemented a 24/7 library.
To perform this research, I will require the 30 hours over the next month, at a cost of $100.
If this study is authorized, I will begin my research immediately and will finish by November 9,
2016.

Introduction
Dr. Jessica McCarthy, Professor at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, asked me to
develop a plan to determine the best way to expand the UTC library hours to 24/7 access.
During my time at UTC I have noticed that I, along with my fellow classmates, spend a large
majority of our time studying and completing school work. Many of us have a full-time class
schedule as well as work one, if not two, jobs. Because of this, I have found that many students
have to study at odd times. The UTC library currently as section that is open 24/5, opening at
noon on Sundays and closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays. This only provides students with an adequate
place to study and resources to use during the week. This is not ideal because students that are
forced to work during the week and left with no place to go when they finally have time to study.

Therefore, Dr. McCarthy asked me to determine the best way to provide students with access to
the library 24/7. Specifically, I will develop a plan with 2 tasks:

Determine the expected use of the expanded library hours.

Evaluate the use of 24/7 libraries at other universities across the country and examine the
steps taken to implement the extended hours.

It the following sections, I provide more information on the proposed tasks as well as the time
frame and budget to complete the study.

Annotated Bibliography
Kell, Gretchen. "Berkeleys First 24/7 Library Space in the Works."Berkeley News. N.p., 26 Aug.
2015. Web. 12 Oct. 2016., from http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/08/26/moffitt-library/
This article came from the Berkeley new page online which is a prestigious university on the
west coast. It was written to inform current and future students about the new 24/7 access
and amenities that will be featured in the library. This source can be used to create a
model for the new hours for the UTC library. Many amenities that will be featured in this
library exist in UTC library.

Layne, Macy. "Library Should Be Open 24/7." University News: UNKC's Independent Student
Newspaper. N.p., 19 Oct. 2015. Web. 12 Oct. 2016., from
http://info.umkc.edu/unews/library-should-be-open-247/
This article came from the University of Missouri Kansas Citys new page. A student this piece
to persuade UMKC to join the trend of 24/7 libraries. This article provides a 1st person

account of the problems that students face when they dont have access to the library at
all times. This can be used to persuade the audience that this is an issue that needs to be
addressed.

"Library Hours." Goucher College Library. Ed. Goucher Library Staff. N.p., 11 Oct. 2016. Web.
12 Oct. 2016., from http://libraryguides.goucher.edu/libinfo/hours
This document came from the Goucher College library website. It is a schedule of hours for
students to see went they can access the library. The calendar can be used to model the most
realistic schedule for a 24/7 library. It shows that even though it is 24/7, is still closes during
breaks when the majority of students will not utilize it.

ODonnell, Kathleen M. "Students Demand 24-Hour Library Access." the Campus. N.p., 25 Apr.
2012. Web. 12 Oct. 2016., from http://www.ccnycampus.org/2012/04/students-demand24-hour-library-access/
This source was published on the City College of New Yorks newsletter. The author wrote this
to show students and the administration that students desire a 24/7 place to study. This
article can be used to show that students would actually use the extended access if it were
available and persuade UTC administration to implement 24/7 access to the library.

Proposed Program

With approval from Theresa Liedtka, Dean of the library at the University of Tennessee at
Chattanooga, I would perform the following 3 tasks to determine the best way to expand the
library hours to meet the students needs.
Task 1. Determine the use of the expanded library hours
Have already began early stages of this research by finding 1st person accounts from students the
desire access to the library of campus 24/7. In both The Library Should Be Open 24/7 and
Students Demand 24-Hour Library Access the authors provide examples of situations that
students need the extended access to the library. Students have to juggle a full class load with
jobs as well as extracurricular activities force students to study throughout the night and
weekends. This information supports that the library should be open 24/7 so that students like
these have a place to study after hours.
I will follow this research up with a survey conducted on campus with questions such as:

Do you work a job during the semester with full-classes?

Have you ever had to study or do homework over the weekend?
Do you find that you are more focused when studying in the library or elsewhere?
Would you study at the library if it were open on Saturday?
How often do you find yourself in the library passed midnight?

I would conduct this survey to ensure that the students at UTC share the same feelings about the
library as the students in the aforementioned articles.

Task 2. Evaluate the use of 24/7 libraries at other universities across the country
and examine the steps taken to implement the extended hours.
Some of the articles given about give examples of universities that have already implemented
libraries with 24/7 access. I aim to contact these universities and others like them in inquiry as to

what step they took to extend the library hours and the costs that came along with it. I plan to
conduct these conversations at first by email and then further with phone calls.

Personnel/Qualification
I will be the one that is conducting the research as well as the survey. I have been in college for
three years, two of which have been at UTC. I have also been involved in extracurricular
activities or held a job since I began college. I have personally been effected by the current hours
of our library. I have been taught the proper manner in which to conduct a survey in a business
statistics course here at UTC.

Budget and Schedule

To conduct the survey, I will need 3 days to pass out the forms. I go to several locations on
campus to do so. I will require the next 2 days to tally the results of the survey. The following
three weeks will be used to make introductions with the directors of other university libraries
through email and then follow up with interviews over the phone.
The $100 will be used to design and print the forms I will use to conduct the survey on campus.
Any excess funds will be uses to cover the cost of contacting the directors at other universities.