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New Weekend Hours At College Library 

February 9, 2026

UW–Madison Libraries are announcing upcoming adjustments to weekend hours at College Library that will go into effect Friday 13, 2026. College Library will extend its hours until 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Weekend hours were changed in summer of 2025 due to budget reductions and are now being updated after Libraries analyzed last semester’s occupancy data.

“After reviewing strong usage numbers and receiving input from students, it was clear that we needed to get creative with staffing schedules to try to restore these hours with the budget reduction,” says Carrie Kruse, Associate Dean for Learning and Engagement. 

For more than two decades, College Library has held a strong commitment to late‑night study space. The current 24‑hour service model, which is five nights a week during the regular semester, was first introduced in 2003 following an Associated Students of Madison initiative calling for expanded late‑night access. During finals week, those hours traditionally extend to overnight service on Fridays and Saturdays.

Due to the budget reductions, in September 2025, College Library started closing on Fridays and Saturdays at 6 p.m. instead of 11 p.m., while maintaining 24/5 service the rest of the week. After several months of data collection, it was clear that the reduced weekend hours were having a larger-than-expected impact on student access.

Occupancy data from this fall showed strong demand for Friday and Saturday evening study space. Between 5 to 6 p.m. on weekends combined usage across College Library, Memorial Library, and Steenbock ranged from approximately 400 to more than 1,000 students per night, with the majority of usage at College Library.

This schedule change at College Library is a temporary solution while the Libraries continue monitoring space usage within a reduced operating budget. Other libraries will continue operating with their current schedules.

Before heading to any library on campus, visit the locations page for the most accurate and updated hours.