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A proposal from Adam Howe, VP Education for a 24 Hour Library at Teesside University.
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1
January 2016
Teesside University Students’ Union
24 Hour Library Proposal
By Adam Howe, Vice-President Education
Teesside University Students’ Union 2015/2016
2
January 2016
Summary
This proposal recommends the opening hours of the library being extended to 24 hours a day, seven days a
week all year round allowing all students unlimited access to a safe and productive working environment
Introduction
The case for a 24 hour library came from research that my predecessor Ryan Marshall conducted during the
Summer Term in 2015 around student expectations of library opening hours including holiday periods. This,
as well as ongoing student feedback led to further research as part of “#24 Hours” campaign.
Current Library opening hours
The library is currently open 8am – midnight (Monday – Thursday) and 8am-8pm (Friday-Sunday) with
extended opening hours in the Summer Term to 2am (Monday – Thursday); out of term time opening hours
vary.
Key research findings
The research undertaken in the previous academic year stated that one third of respondents wanted the
Library to open between 5am and 6am and a further one third wanting the Library to remain open until
4am. Furthermore, nearly half of respondents were unable to access the Library and its resources due to the
current opening hours. This strongly supports 24 hour opening.
My #24 Hours campaign saw students from a range of years and courses across the university submit
responses to a number of questions. 96.89% of those students surveyed are in favour of 24 hour opening
across the year. 56.76% would like it in term 1, 85.14% in term 2 and 94.59% in term 3 (see appendix 1).
With the proposed shift to a semester model for academic delivery this would see two key assessment
periods thus further justifying the need to have 24 hour opening throughout the year.
Student Expectations
Students now expect a 24 hour library at their university and is now very much the norm in the Higher
Education sector. In the North East Northumbria, Newcastle, and Sunderland have a 24 hour library and the
business library at Durham University is also 24/7 making Teesside the only university in the region without
one. This could be a big factor that helps potential students choose which university to apply to and choose
as their firm choice. Other universities within the North East and Yorkshire such as Leeds Beckett, York St.
John, Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam also operate 24/7 libraries with some being open 365 days of the year.
A list of universities confirmed as having a 24/7 library can be found in appendix 2.
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257 Student comments were collected and highlight a number of different reasons why the library should
be open 24/7, out of these 257 comments only 7 of them are neutral or negative. One of the main points
that comes across is the that other buildings on campus are open 24 hours but are limited to students who
study in that particular school mainly SAM, SCM and SSE. This is beneficial to these students but leave
students from SOHSC and SSSBL without a 24 hour work area. Interestingly students who already have
access to the 24 hour buildings feel that they don’t have all the resources they need and would strongly
agree to having 24 hour access to the library. (See appendix 3 for the full list of student comments)
Benefits of a 24 Hour Library at Teesside
There are a number of benefits of having a 24 hour library at Teesside University which have been shown
throughout this proposal these include:
Bringing Teesside in line with other universities in the North East and the rest of the country
supporting student recruitment
Improving the NSS score of the Library and improve overall student satisfaction and academic
performance
Providing a 24 hour learning space for all students not just those who study on a course with a 24
hour buildings providing all students with equal access to resources and a high quality, consistent
student experience
Improving students perception of value for money
Caters for students with other responsibilities such as work, children and those who care for others –
a recent SU survey showed 25% of students have parenting or carer responsibilities
Allows students who undertake a placement as part of their course (particularly Health and Social
Care) access to resources outside of placement hours
Allows students who are more productive late at night to access resources and have a safe place to
work away from other distractions
The library already operates on a self-service system from 7pm where students must swipe their
TUSC to gain access to the library stopping non students from entering the building
Campus Security are located in the library and currently work 24/7
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January 2016
Conclusion
This proposal has highlighted an overwhelming requirement for a 24 hour library and is also supported by
the Director of Library and Information Services Liz Jolly. It has highlighted how extending our opening hours
will bring us in line with a significant numbers of other universities in the UK including the rest of the North
East. It also brings into sharp relief the expectations of our students with regards to the value and
experience they receive for the fees that they pay.
This proposal has provided sound research that has been collected this academic year from our current
students which includes comments on why they want a 24 hour library. Mainly it highlights the need for all
students to be catered for and treated equally.
I fully support the students in their request for a 24 hour library and hope that you will look on this proposal
favourably.
Adam Howe
Vice-President Education 2015/16
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January 2016
Appendix 1
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January 2016
Appendix 2
Bangor University
University of Kent
Leicester University
University of East Anglia
University of Bradford
University of Bath
Swansea University
Aberystwyth University
University of Portsmouth
University of Keele
Leeds Beckett – 365 days a year
University of Birmingham
St. Mary’s University Twickenham
Liverpool University
Sheffield Hallam
York St John
University of Reading
Heriot-Watt University
Lancaster University
Wolves University
University of Manchester
Buckinghamshire New University
University of Plymouth
University of the Arts London
Hertfordshire University
University of West London
University of East London
Cardiff University
University of Lincoln
University of Sheffield – 2 24/7 libraries
Falmouth University
University of St Mark and St John
University of Nottingham
University of Bedfordshire
Edge Hill University
Westminster University
De Montfort University
Nottingham Trent
Kings College London
University of Sunderland
Newcastle University
Durham University
Northumbria University
List of Universities with a 24 hour library
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Appendix 3
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76430
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