KEVIN VAN DER LIST
The Student Representative Council and COPE@TUKS are in the process of extending library hours on Hatfield Campus.
The SRC has submitted a proposal for the extension of library hours to the university. The parties involved are currently awaiting a response from the university.
Robert Moropa, Director of Library Services, said that the library has received a request to extend its hours and it is being considered. He added that the financial implications must be evaluated before any decision can be made.
Christopher Pappas, the SRC member for Academic Affairs, is hopeful that the proposal will be approved and will not be compromised by financial constraints.
The proposal comes after students complained that library hours are too short. Pappas said that students who depend on the library for books, notes and the internet are unable to complete their work in the library after 21:00. “If the university wants to call [itself] an educational institution and also have a lot of focus on academic excellence and research, then they need to provide the facilities for that,” he said.
If the proposal is approved in its current form, the Merensky and Law libraries will be open 24/7 during exam times.
During non-exam times, the abovementioned libraries will be open until midnight from Mondays to Thursdays, and until 18:00 from Fridays to Sundays. Once these times have been accepted, the SRC aims to have a 24-hours-every-day library operating, regardless of the time of year.
Comfort Mashiloane, a second-year BEd student who regularly uses the library, said the extended times “won’t be a waste”. He said that most students in residences depend on the library’s computers and have to resort to using internet cafés on Sundays when the library is closed. He feels that this is not always an economically effective solution for some students.
Moropa said that the library will provide for students’ needs where possible.
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