My love of the Ames Library started three years ago, when I, then a prospective student, stepped off the elevator onto the fourth floor.
I was in awe of the hanging stained-glass panes that encircled a wooden rotunda lined with bookshelves, home to cozy armchairs and a round table.
I’ve written papers in that room, read texts, and even written poetry inspired by that room, as well as spent time in the rest of the building.
My love for the library also has a personal connection. My father, David Traugott, ‘94, was an IWU senior during the library’s construction, and my mom, his then girlfriend, both ran past the cornerstones of the building I have frequented throughout my time at IWU. This inspired my decision to live in Gates so that I could shorten my walk to my favorite study spot on campus.
Even students who visit the library far less than I do agree that Ames has many resources in one spot. At Ames, you can print the paper you forgot about before class. Your professor might have saved you the backache of lugging around a textbook by keeping a copy on reserve behind the front desk. You can use the Writing Center to get help on an essay. You can use one of the many computers available to do classwork. The snack, drink, and coffee machines on the first floor are also of immeasurable value.
Ames’ hours have been a topic of student grumbling for at least the time I have been here, which, as a senior, is longer than I can believe. For three years, I accepted that student workers just weren’t available long enough.
Comparing the current Ames schedule to the one that has existed from when I was first a student here in 2022 to spring of 2025, several changes can be found. Friday’s closing time moved from 8 p.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday’s from 8 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday’s from midnight to 8 p.m. This adds up to 10 fewer hours a week than last year, despite other buildings (such as the Shirk Center) having no changes to their operating hours.
I do not mean to imply that student athletes or health-conscious Titans should have their hours cut. However, I find it incredibly frustrating to schedule my studies around these cuts when my workload continues to increase. I find myself struggling to find silent, productive workspaces when the library closes so early on weekends and Sunday, a school night.
Why should some students have an environment like Shirk that is tailored to their time needs, and yet others receive silent cuts despite rising tuition every year and an incoming class of over 500 to hire from?
And the Ames Library does hire many work-study students. I appreciate that the university keeps priority spaces for these students to fund themselves, but I feel something needs to be done to address this gap, such as what was done when I was a lab TA. There, students receiving work-study were prioritized in hiring and scheduling. But the positions were open to all students so that a sufficient number of review hours could be staffed.
If Ames is known and marketed to incoming students on tours as a beneficial space, why isn’t the students’ desire for more hours seen as important enough to pull in some non-work-study students to cover the gaps so we can all succeed?
