Pius XII Memorial Library will temporarily reduce hours due to short staffing. Instead of closing at the usual 2 a.m. time, the library will now shut its doors at 12 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday. The change was announced on Sept. 9, just weeks into the fall semester, which some students say has disrupted their study habits.  

While Pius as a whole has faced a staffing shortage, the department in charge of opening and closing the library, circulation and interlibrary loan has especially struggled since spring 2024. 

When the employee who staffed the circulation desk from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. left the position, it forced the library to shorten its late night hours, said Jennifer Nutefall, dean of libraries and museums at Pius. 

“I understand that this has an impact on students,” Nutefall said. “But we just currently don’t have that staffing.”

The library has not directly experienced budget cuts; however, almost all staff members who recently left have accepted similar jobs elsewhere. 

Sophie Johnson, a master of social work student, has worked in the academic technology commons at Saint Louis University’s library since February 2021. She said that the library is understaffed mainly because it is difficult to secure full time staff for overnight shifts. Johnson said many libraries like Pius are working on a reduced capacity, making it increasingly difficult to approve job postings. 

Pius has four priority positions that it hopes to fill by the end of the year, but the search and hiring process is lengthy, Nutefall said. If the vacant positions at the circulation desk can be filled, the library expects to fully return to normal hours by the spring semester. 

“I appreciate the grace that students can hopefully give us as we build back up our staffing,” Nutefall said.

Audrey Antony, a freshman medical sciences major, studies at Pius most nights with a group of friends. The hour cuts forced her to abruptly adjust her study routine. 

“I was mad because that was the week of our chem exam, and we knew we were going to be studying late,” Antony said.

After Pius reduced its hours, freshman and mechanical engineering major Annalise Volegaar now goes back to her dorm to study but said it is not an ideal place for school work.

“Everybody uses the dorm study rooms for everything else, so it’s really hard to focus [there],” Volegaar said. 

The library announced on social media that it will have extended hours the last two weeks of the semester to accommodate students during finals.

Sana’a Abouantoun contributed to this report.