Students expecting to return to late-night study routines at Davis Library were caught by surprise recently when they realized the building now closes at midnight.
For the rest of the week, Davis is operating on reduced hours rather than its usual 24-hour schedule.
On weekdays, the library will be open from 8 a.m. until midnight except on Friday, when it closes at 6 p.m.
But UNC officials say the changes are only temporary.
Diane Strauss, associate University librarian for public services, said Davis' 24-hour service will be back in place after the Labor Day weekend.
"It hasn't changed for the entire semester," she said.
Strauss said the Davis Circulation Department is in the process of hiring and training students and new employees, resulting in the early closings.
"What happens typically is that there's a whole new influx of student employees," she said. "The full-time staff are heavily involved in training the staff the first week or two of classes. (New staff) really have to be well-versed and trained to be able to handle what comes up."
Although new employees are trained during Davis' operating hours, Strauss said it is still important to close early until training sessions have finished. "The students ... aren't sufficiently trained to work late at night," she said.
When the Undergraduate Library began renovations last December, Davis extended its operating hours for the spring 2001 semester -- a move meant to accommodate students who normally utilized the Undergraduate Library's 24-hour facilities for late-night schoolwork.
The Undergrad is slated to reopen in fall 2002.
Last semester, Davis offered 24-hour service with the exception of Friday and Saturday nights.
Students hoping to take advantage of the same hours this semester now must work around a new operating schedule.
"I was expecting it to be open 24 hours, like last semester," said senior biology major Adam Seay. "I can see where it would be a problem."
But Strauss said the process hasn't caused much disturbance, because the first two weeks of classes don't produce a high demand for late-night studying.
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
"I haven't seen or heard any complaints," she said. "We try to stress that it is a preliminary fall schedule."
Ray Mehrizi, a graduate student in the School of Pharmacy, said the temporary hours have not hindered his study schedule.
"In the beginning (of the year), there's not so much work to do," he said. "It's really valued later in the semester."
Molly Freedman, a sophomore psychology and journalism major, said Davis is her ideal place to study, but she said she hasn't needed the 24-hour service since she got back to school.
"People do work the first week?"
The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.
