Bar Wars return: Plans for Pendle Bar to only open ... - Scan - Lusu

48COMMENTWeek 2 - Summer Termscan.lusu.co.uk/commentHead to HeadIs 24 hour opening ideal for the Library?Alex LittleboyThis term, the library willbe trialling a 24-houropening period, Sundaysto Fridays, allowingstudents to study at whatevertime suits them during the approachto the exam period. Thisdevelopment will be of great benefitto the student population, inparticular final year students undergreat time pressure.These planned opening timeswill not necessarily encouragepoor revision strategy. Studentsrevising for exams during thenight before an exam would doso whether the library was thereto assist them or not. All that this24/5 opening time will give forthese students is the opportunityto find and use resources in thistime, making this last minuterevision more effective, but notmaking it an advisable strategy.On the other hand, shouldstudents be requiring resourceson a short timescale, with largeamounts of work due in a shortamount of time in this examperiod, the 24-houropening time would enable timemanagement to be done much moreeffectively, as it essentially givesanother 12 hours that can be usedas the working student sees fit.Sleep is a very importantfor students, especially duringexam time, when students findlife to be at its most stressful.However, I don’t feel that the libraryopening times will cause studentsto abandon sleep in favourof study. Just because the serviceis available 24 hours, does notmean that all students will use itfor this time. I imagine that themajority of students will continueto visit the library in its standardopening times, but some mayuse the opportunity of elongatedopening hours in order to createa study timetable that will suitthem.Furthermore, not all studentshave the same sleep schedule.Much as it is a cliché, some studentsreally do operate on a differentschedule, and perform bestat work in the evenings. In thesecircumstances, the library isYESmerely recognising that there aredifferences in individual learningstyles and timetables, and givingstudents the option to learn andstudy in the way that best suitsthem.‘Not all studentshave the samesleep schedule.Much as it isa cliché, somestudents reallydo operate on adifferent schedule’There is no right or wronganswer to individuals study timetables.Some people will studybetter during the day, howeverothers may find that it is helpfulto use the times when the librarywould usually be closed.This trial scheme issimply giving these students theopportunity to study in the waythat suits them, rather thanforcing them into a study routinethat they aren’t comfortable with.University study is about choice,and the choice of study time reflectsthe individual who is doingthe study.If a student leaves study tothe last minute, revising throughthe night instead of sleeping,extended library opening timeswill not save them from theexams to come.However, when used as a toolin a varied study toolbox, thisextended opening time couldbe valuable to many students.I find it admirable that thelibrary is willing to trial theseextended hours, and allow studentsthemselves to decide how best touse their study time.There are a variety ofdifferent students, withdifferent study types, and thelibrary recognises this and issupporting those who previouslywent without support.Students can be trusted to knowtheir own strengths and weaknesseswhen studying, and theseelongated opening hours willsimply be a different option forstudents to choose from.Julia MolloyNOThe thought of revisionand examination periodsmakes any student’s stomachturn. It’s the time to getdown to the nitty gritty of whatgetting a degree is all about – diggingout all your lecture notes,condensing and learning them,then tackling an exam paper. Thelibrary’s plan to trial a 24-houropening period, Sunday to Friday,during exams this summerwill enable to students to study atwhatever time they choose, andhave access to all materials at alltimes. This should be exactly whatstudents need, right?Wrong. The library’s planned24/5 opening times will not onlyencourage students to revise atridiculous hours in the morningbut it will also have a detrimentaleffect on their exam results. Revisingduring the night disturbsyour sleeping pattern (althoughadmittedly students’ sleeping patternsare probably not very regularanyway), which affects youracademic performance.A study done in 2012 by theUniversity of California foundthat, after tracking a group a students’revision and sleeping hours,those who crammed in their revisionovernight were more likely toencounter academic problems thenext day. The professor of psychiatryand behavioural sciencesat the university, Andrew Fuligni,said that “when [students]crammed, they got significantlyless sleep and when that happens,it’s more difficult to learn whatyou’re studying.”These opening hours will encouragestudents to study insteadof sleep, which in turn will reducetheir ability to learn. It is recommendedthat we need around eightsleep per night, with teenagersneeding slightly more. How canwe come anywhere near achievingthat target when it is apparentlydeemed acceptable to studyall night instead?As if things couldn’t be anyworse, studying overnight increasesstress levels, which againprevents a good night’s sleep. Althoughthe library is responding tostudents’ desires, we seem to haveforgotten the negative effects thatsuch a decision can have. Studyingfor exams is stressful enoughanyway without factoring in thepossibility of overnight study. Increasedstress and a lack of sleepaffect your mood and even yourmemory capacity. 24-hour openingtimes, meaning even moreopportunity to study overnight,cannot be in any way conduciveto succeeding in examinations.After a busy day of lectures andrevision, the last thing I feel likedoing once it gets to about ninein the evening is going to the libraryto do more work. Night timeshould be the relaxed, stress-freepoint in the day. We can take abreak from our busy daytimelives and do something that weenjoy, whether that’s watchingTV, catching up with friends, orhaving a quiet drink in a bar. Thesecret to being well prepared forexams and to minimising stresslevels is planning breaks as wellas revision hours. A break shouldalways come immediately beforeyou go to bed to allow you to winddown. Revision should be donepredominately during the day orearly evening and not at threeo’clock in the morning.Having 24-hour opening is almostlike giving students a planB. If they don’t find the time torevise during the day, then that’salright because there’s always thechance to revise all night the daybefore the exam because the libraryis open. Nothing could beworse exam practice. Instead ofresorting to this plan B, we shouldbe encouraging students to comeup with a realistic revision timetable,including breaks, so thatthere shouldn’t even be a demandfor longer library opening hours.If we bow down to what many seeas the inevitable ‘moving with thetimes’ and open our library for 24hours five days a week, we’ll soonsee a detrimental effect on bothexam results and students’ wellbeingalike. Lancaster might be inthe minority concerning 24-hourlibraries, but surely it is better toencourage healthy exam practicerather than turning our studentsinto nocturnal workaholics.