With the fall semester coming to a close, students’ workload continues to pick up. For many of them, the library is a quiet place where they can get their work done and leave the distractions of their home life behind. However, the FGCU Library has decreased hours at the start of the school year, forcing students to leave early, not knowing about the time change.
On the FGCU Library website, its hours are listed from 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 p.m., closing at least 30 minutes earlier than in previous years. Not only does this mess up people’s schedules, but the frustration of being forced to move your things in the midst of your work cycle is also frustrating.
This continues the significant decrease in library hours over the last three years. In the 2023-24 academic year, the library stayed open until 2:00 a.m., which gave students ample time to finish their last-minute assignments. With the change, I have seen many people start working outside the library at night. This not only creates a danger for the students with wildlife on the prowl, but it also exposes them to the unpredictable weather typical of the Southwest Florida environment…