Pros and Cons of a 24/7 Library
PROs
- Provides a place for vagrants to safely stay and be productive. Instead of spending the night in the streets, vagrants can have a place to read, surf the internet, and revise.
- Helps students cope with school workload, especially working students who make time for revision in the early morning, after nightclass and before the work day.
- Provides a venue for creative brainstorming for teams.
- Increased access to reading resources
- Helps prevent crime by keeping the would-be victims in a safe place until the morning
CONs
- Requiring better security, because many miscreants may enter the library for theft and other malicious acts
- Increased risk of vandalism of library resources
- Increased electricity bill of the library because airconditioning and lighting are on 24/7
Solutions:
- Better training for librarians who will take the night shift, including workshops on self-defence and first aid.
- Proper shifting and scheduling would make sure that there's always someone around to attend to the needs of patrons, even in the early morning.
- Facilities, such as the bathroom, need to be manned by personnel other than the librarian.
- Revise policies on eating inside the library.
- Provide couches for napping.