When Do Veterinary Medical Students Study? Understanding Student Study Habits to Inform Library Operating Hours.

Abstract

Many libraries have expanded their opening hours to a 24/5 or 24/7 model. But does this reflect when students actually study? Little evidence about when medical or professional students study is available. By mounting a prominently placed poster with a graphical timeline that students could affix self-adhesive dots upon, the Flower-Sprecher Veterinary Library gathered students' preferred study times on different days of the week (Monday-Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The students reported their most active study times as Monday-Thursday between 4:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., peaking at 8:00 p.m., and the fewest study times on Fridays. The poster results informed our decision that it would be of minimal benefit to student users to change library operating hours to a 24/7 model. This user-feedback method can be replicated in a variety of settings to provide quick and easy input to inform library decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]