Students might be able to study at the library longer on the weekends as part of a University Faculty Senate committee's review of the hours at Pattee and Paterno libraries.

At Monday's Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Academic Assembly meeting, Nicole Belolan, College of Liberal Arts representative, told the assembly that some students are dissatisfied with the current weekend hours of operation at Pattee and Paterno libraries.

She said it might benefit students if the libraries were open earlier on weekends.

The library currently opens at 7:45 a.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m. Saturdays and noon on Sundays.

"If this is something students are concerned with, we can look into it," Assembly President Mark Levin said

He added that the assembly would need to work with the Faculty Senate's Committee on Libraries, the group making the review of the hours, to make the possible changes.

Committee Chair David Cranage said that although he was not aware of the concern with library hours, he would include it on the committee's agenda and it would be discussed at the committee's Dec. 7 meeting.

The Senate Committee on Libraries always meets the morning of the Faculty Senate meetings.

Cranage added that although the Senate can only make suggestions to the library, the library heads usually take student concerns into consideration.

"We're only advisory, but in general they are very open, as long as they fit budgetary concerns," he said.

Cranage said the committee has been successful in the past with making changes.

For example, it was recently able to institute cell phone-free zones in the library as a response to students concerned with noise.

Laura Probst, Penn State Libraries public services head, said the library consistently evaluates its hours to find ways to improve them.

However, she said the library must also consider the high cost of extending operation hours.

"It becomes a budgetary issue," she said. "Our primary goal is to balance the needs of students against the resources available."

Probst said the library has been surveying students present in the library during low operation hours, including Friday nights and Saturday mornings and nights, to obtain feedback.

"We're trying to measure what folks who use the library at those hours are doing," she said.

Probst said that if the library opened earlier, it would probably have to close earlier due to budget concerns.

"If we change hours, we might inconvenience one group to meet the needs of another," she said.

However, Probst said the library Web site contains many resources that allow students to work from their personal computers.

"We've made it so students can do work from home even if the library isn't open," she said.

Wendy Gourley (senior-communication sciences and disorders), who was studying in the library yesterday, said she does not use the library on the weekends and said she feels students would not benefit if the library opened earlier.

"A lot of students don't wake up until 10 or 11 [in the morning] on the weekends anyway," she said.

However, Asad Haider (freshman-division of undergraduate studies), also studying in the library yesterday, said the library should open earlier on Saturdays and Sundays.

"I use the library on weekends," he said.

"I think earlier hours would be very convenient because I'm not going to come on weekday mornings."