You live on campus as a college student, even if you don’t reside in student housing. Classes keep us there. Resources keep us here. The hours that these resources are available in person is something that matters to students. Whether it’s needing a space to study or a spot to grab a bite to eat in between classes or homework, there are options to use. But only when they are open. 

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic happened four years ago, there are lasting impacts everywhere. Things like the hours that places on campus are open is one of those impacts. 

Fall quarter 2023 was the first time that “all available dining locations were open and operating since winter quarter 2020,” Dean Masuccio, director of dining & catering, said.

Brooks Library has also had hours changed due to COVID-19. 

When Brooks Library reopened in the fall of 2020, they decided to shorten their hours. “[W]e decided to close at 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, as opposed to our usual midnight closing on those days,” Sydney Thompson, dean of libraries, said.

A year later, the hours returned to closing at midnight Sunday through Thursday.

The process to determine hours at Brooks is based on a variety of things.  

“Brooks Library hours are based on perceived student needs throughout the week and academic year,” Thompson said. “We utilize usage statistics, feedback, and our available staffing to schedule hours of operation.”

The data has caused a number of changes through the years for the hours that the Brooks Library is open.

Throughout the 2021-2022 academic year, the staff at Brooks noticed how many students were still in the library when it closed at 5 p.m. and started to do headcounts at closing. The numbers showed more people being in the library on Friday afternoons, so they increased the Brooks Library hours to be open until 7 p.m. on Fridays. 

Closing the library earlier on Fridays and Saturdays was a result of less people in the building that the other days of the week.  

“Saturdays are the quietest day of the week,” Sydney Thompson, dean of libraries, said.

The library does have online resources available 24/7. OneSearch can be used on the library’s website for research. Connecting virtually can be done through a global chat reference cooperative that CWU is part of. The chat option on the library’s “Ask Here” page is how one can access it. 

“I would love to hear any and all feedback about the Libraries,” Thompson said. Email is the best way to reach her. Use [email protected] when reaching out.  

For those interested in sharing opinions or asking questions about dining, [email protected] is where those comments can be sent.

To be more involved with dining services, students can apply to be on the Housing and Dining Advisory Committee. 

“Members of the committee are consulted for policies, products and services that benefit the campus community meeting biweekly during the academic year,” the CWU page for the Housing and Dining Advisory Committee said.