Headcounts from the April week demonstrate that at 11:00 p.m., 12:00 a.m., and 1:00 a.m., headcounts were more than two times higher on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights than on Thursday nights. The 2:00 a.m. headcounts show that even after our final closing announcement each night, we still had some users present. Headcounts for the last three hours of Friday and Saturday nights, when we close earlier than the rest of the week, show fewer users present than Sunday through Wednesday, and more than on Thursday. After the final closing announcements on Friday and Saturday nights, no users remained in the library. May Headcounts During final exams in May, student workers counted users at 1:00, 3:00, and 4:00 a.m. (Because only one student worker worked on May 4 and May 9, 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. headcounts were not possible on those dates.) The available 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. headcounts demonstrate that in some cases, Olin contained a large number of users during the late-night hours. 4:00 a.m. counts show that after the final closing announcements, users remained in the library: User Activity during Headcounts While performing the April and May headcounts, Olin student workers made note of what users were doing: studying, using computers and printing, browsing the collections and using the library catalog computers, sleeping, and walking. We used the term “studying” somewhat loosely to apply to any RLI 277 21 Keeping the Doors Open: Exploring 24-Hour Library Access at Washington University ( C O N T I N U E D ) DECEMBER 2011 RESEARCH LIBRARY ISSUES: A QUARTERLY REPORT FROM ARL, CNI, AND SPARC May Headcounts Date Day of Week 1:00 a.m. 3:00 a.m. 4:00 a.m. 5/4/2011 Wed. night/Thurs. morning N/A N/A 20 5/5/2011 Thurs. night/Fri. morning 170 91 5 5/6/2011 Fri. night/Sat. morning 70 21 1 5/7/2011 Sat. night/Sun. morning 138 47 15 5/8/2011 Sun. night/Mon. morning 210 79 1 5/9/2011 Mon. night/Tues. morning N/A N/A 2 5/10/2011 Tues. night/Wed. morning 90 42 2