A university library should try out later hours for a period before deciding if it is a good idea. One important reason for this trial is not that all students want to work at night. The reason is that a single closing time will affect different students in different ways. For example, a commuter who works a paid shift until 6pm may only have a limited amount of time to study in a quiet environment. Similarly, a student who lives in a shared house may experience the same problem regardless of whether they have a part-time job. This means that having access to the library is more of a matter of practical availability than personal desire. 

Another consideration is that later hours will come at a cost. Expenses such as staffing, heating, security and public transport cannot be considered infinite. Opening a large building for a small number of people may represent a waste of funds that could be spent elsewhere. Furthermore, students who study late could find themselves travelling home in unsafe circumstances. Any suggestion that the library should simply remain open later ignores these issues. The university must consider who will benefit, how much it will cost and whether a supervised study room will fulfil the requirement.

A trial would enable the university to answer these questions. For example, the library could stay open on one study floor until midnight for 6 weeks on two weekdays. They should track attendance during the extended period and request feedback from commuters, working students and disabled students anonymously. While this information will not prove that later hours will improve academic performance, it will indicate whether or not they will provide an essential resource for some students. In addition, the trial should measure the impact on staff and the expense per hour that staff are employed.

In light of this, the university should weigh up the results of the trial against alternative solutions, such as opening the library earlier, booking study rooms for the evening and increasing access to digital resources. Should the extended hours attract significant usage without being too expensive, then this should be extended during exam season. Otherwise, a smaller evening study area might be appropriate. In either case, this approach shows that student accessibility is a priority, but leaves the option to alter the policy in the future.