Although the D.C. Public Library system recently imposed stricter security measures that include banning visitors from sleeping in branch libraries, AU students can continue to nap in Bender Library without risk of penalization.
The new regulations are part of a larger policy review aimed at making the library more welcoming, according to George Williams, public information officer for the D.C. Public Library system. There was originally a rule in place prohibiting patrons from napping for longer than 15 minutes, but it proved difficult to enforce.
"We want people to come to the library and use the library for checking out books and research, and those types of functions," Williams said.
Since Feb. 1, anyone found sleeping for any length of time is now asked to take a walk around and get some fresh air, according to Pam Stovall, associate director of the system's Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
System administrators have also set a limit on the number and size of bags that may be brought into library branches. Visitors are allowed to bring one personal item, such as a purse or backpack, and one bag small enough to be allowed as carry-on luggage on an airplane. With the increased visitation D.C. libraries has seen recently, large bags can block aisles, Stovall said.
The Washington Post claimed the new DCPL policies were largely aimed at preventing the city's homeless population from using the libraries as a shelter. Stovall denied the Post's report.
"The Post article was slanted in an incorrect way," she said.
In an effort to reach out to the homeless community, DCPL houses an organization called the Customers without Homes Committee. The committee meets to discuss the issues and legal rights of homeless people in the area, and also offers sensitivity training to help staff members better serve the needs of the homeless community, Stovall said.
AU's Bender Library, which is a private facility, does not have a policy that regulates sleeping in the building, according to Mary Mintz, AU's outreach librarian.
While library staff is aware that students sometimes use the building as a place to nap, Mintz said she finds this behavior understandable. AU students are known for having busy schedules that involve a balance of classes, internships, jobs and social lives, she said.
"It's no wonder, I think; when you're engaged in a still activity like studying, it is understandable that it might lead to napping," Mintz said.
While the library staff once received a comment in their online suggestion box complaining that people who snore in the library made it impossible to concentrate, Mintz said she does not believe the occasional sleeping student detracts from the library's atmosphere.
"We take very seriously our responsibility to provide the best study environment to students," Mintz said.
Jonah Feldman, a freshman in the Kogod School of Business, said that while he has never fallen asleep in the AU library, he has seen students sleeping there on many occasions.
"I guess they don't want to go back to the dorms because they have too much work," he said.
Laura Schofield, a sophomore in Kogod, said she knows people who live off campus that fall asleep at the AU library instead of going home.
"It doesn't look very comfortable, but it happens a lot," she said.
You can reach this staff writer at mkendall@theeagleonline.com.
