Beginning Tuesday, the Mary Couts Burnett Library will be open 24 hours a day for five days a week.

June Koelker, dean of the library, said because of the Labor Day holiday, the library will open at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning and will stay open continuously until Friday night at 8 p.m.

Normally. the library will open Sunday at noon and stay open continuously until Friday at 8 p.m.

Koelker said the Saturday hours of 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. will go unchanged.

“This has come about because a group of students identified that the library’s hours were not sufficient for their academic needs,” Koelker said.

In March 2007, INTERCOM, a group of student leaders from organizations, such as the Student Government Association, Panhellenic Council and the Residence Hall Association, proposed an extension of library hours to the Board of Trustees.

Thomas Pressly, SGA president, said 24-hour access to the library was needed to accommodate the growing residential community on campus.

“It’s really been a three-year effort from student government and from student leaders on campus to try to get 24-hour access,” he said.

Koelker said security needs for the late-night hours were a concern. After midnight on any of the 24/5 nights, a security guard placed at the front of the library will check to make sure students have their TCU ID cards with them when they come to the library, she said. If they fail to show their TCU ID cards, they will not be allowed to enter.

As another safety precaution, with the exception of finals week, certain areas of the library will be off limits to students after midnight, Koelker said. The east side of the library where the archives are located will be closed, along with the basement and the media library.

Koelker said food will be available at Bistro Burnett during the late-night hours.

“I think that it will be very beneficial because it will give students the opportunity to study more and improve their grades,” said junior radio-TV-film major Caroline Keith.