Found in the Archives: Library Hours

There was a time when the St. Kate's Library wasn't open every day of the week. Until the late 1960s it was closed on Sundays. Students began asking for extended hours, however. The minutes of the Student-Faculty Committee from November 18, 1964 include this item:

"[There was a suggestion] that the library be open on Sundays and the Friday and Saturday of exam week. It was mentioned that the librarians work very long hours all week and are entitled to have Sunday free."

Demand for Sunday hours continued unsuccessfully until the 1966-67 academic year. That year, Head Librarian Sister Marie Inez mentioned in her annual report "the happy resolution of opening the library on Sundays with the cooperation of students and faculty."

That cooperation was the plan of Resident Student Council President Jan English and Day Student Council President Judy Tingerthall. They led an S.O.S. (Students Out to Study) effort to recruit faculty members to staff the library for 3 hours on Sunday afternoons, using sign-up sheets like the one pictured here. It shows the signatures of 25 faculty members willing to sit at the library desk from 1:30-4:30.

This sign-up sheet is in the Archives and Special Collections as part of the records of the College Association, the student governing board. Unfortunately, the Archives does not seem to have the "list of duties" Sr. Marie Inez left for the faculty members who sat at the desk.