The Ellender Memorial Library is closing earlier on Mondays through Thursdays and will not open on Saturdays as part of the University’s $1.5 million budget cuts.The library has reduced its weekly schedule by 13 hours to conserve electricity. Monday through Thursday, the library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., which is three hours less on Monday and two hours less on Tuesday through Thursday from last semester.

The library is now closed on Saturdays, but it will retain its regular Sunday hours of 4 p.m. to midnight. Carol Mathias, library director, said she wanted to make sure there was still a late night available for students to use the library.

Mathias said she could not estimate how much money is being saved by the new schedule, but that with three floors of numerous computers and lights, the cuts in hours should save significant amounts for the University.

In addition to reducing the library’s hours, the budget for new books and database resources was cut by $50,000. “If the budget is as bleak as it looks, underused databases may be the next resources to be cut,” Mathias said.

Mathias said she hopes the library can return to its former schedule as soon as possible. “Students need the library particularly before finals,” Mathias said. Because of this, the University will try to increase the library’s hours around final exams.

Students have already begun speaking out against the library’s new schedule. Jarvis Hebert, a finance senior from Cut-Off, said he prefers working later hours in the library and would prefer for the new schedule to include more late nights than just Sunday.