Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the opinion piece published in the Nov. 3, 2025 issue of The Argus about the change in our hours of operation. I’d like to provide context about the events that led to reducing our hours.
The current reduced hours are a result of cuts in our budget. As the opinion piece notes, work-study students are prioritized in university hiring. The issue the library faces is not based on prioritizing who to hire, but rather having the funds to hire work-study students.
This story starts last academic year (AY24-25) when we learned in the late fall that our student worker budget was reduced by nearly 50%. At that time, we chose not to reduce hours, having already made a commitment to not only IWU students but also our work-study students (upon whom we depend to in the Tate Archives & Special Collections, at the Library Services Desk, in Acquisitions and Interlibrary Loan.
For the fall and spring semesters, we maintained our former opening hours. We did cut hours over May 2024 and were only able to hire two students to work part-time over May and Summer thanks to funding from the Thorpe Center for Faculty & Curricular Development.
Additionally, the student worker wage on campus increased twice during the 2024-2025 academic year: once in the fall, and then again in the spring. While we support the increase in wages to offset the impact of tuition increases and the rise of the cost of living expenses, we knew that without additional student worker dollars, we could not sustain our former hours.
With a reduced budget in AY24-25, we prioritized keeping the library open as much as possible during the hours students were using it most. We carefully analyzed the entry/exit data we collected using SenSource software. This data shows us when students are using the library spaces — when they come in to study, attend a class, or meet with a group. We stretched the funding we had from our work-study budget in order to keep the library open as much as possible during the busiest times of the week. We also consulted with the Provost & Dean of Faculty, the Vice President for Student Affairs, and the Student Senate President, all of whom endorsed our plan.
We recognize the vital role the library plays in student success. The reduction is an unfortunate result of sustained budget cuts. We used every tool we had, and analyzed all of the data carefully, to try to minimize the impact as much as possible on the student body. We are also grateful that we received additional funding from a donor and the Thorpe Center, without which more cuts would have been required. We welcome feedback and ideas so that we can continue to do so to the best of our ability and encourage you to continue to speak out of the value the library holds for your experience here through Student Senate, and in discussions with the administration. We also welcome your responses to a student survey about The Ames Library, coming in Feb. 2026.
