By Paige Quiggins & Justin Moore

The finals week extended hours for Ekstrom Library are being taken advantage of by both undergraduate and graduate students. The front of Tulip Tree café was well-lit and wide-awake in the midst of the dark midnight surrounding it.
Senior psychology major Brendan Byrne stepped out for a smoke in front and enjoyed the serene outside for a quick break during his late-night study session.
Byrne said he enjoys the extra time to study at night.
“I’ve seen the sun rise in this library at least 10 times,” he said.
Byrne said he finds the trip to the library from his apartment on Fourth Street gets him awake during the bitter cold. He also felt that the bright lights and the calmness of the atmosphere helps him focus
“I can have a smoke, become alert and ready to get stuff done,”   he said.
For others, the second floor of the library, near the McConnell Center, makes them feel more comfortable with the cozy chairs, large gathering and private study rooms.
“This part is a better atmosphere for me than the East Wing,” said Alecia Fuller, freshman psychology major. “It’s kind of chill and not as lit up so I don’t feel like I’m in a doctor’s office or something.”  
Students Tim Yochim and Jesse Calhoun said they enjoyed going into the secluded study areas because they were “quiet, peaceful and large enough” to spread out at that time. Many students like Yochim and Calhoun had books, papers and computers scattered amongst the bulky wooden tables. 
Yochim, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he enjoys the extended hours, but would be more likely to go during the regular semester on a Saturday or Sunday to catch up on some reading or study for tests. 
Calhoun, a junior biology major, said he is grateful for the extended hours and uses them outside of peak times, but actual renovations on the building might be necessary in the future. “UK just got an out-of-this-world library. If they can put money into athletics, why not put money into the library?” he said. 
Fuller and her friends enjoyed studying on one of the large wooden tables beside the stairs and ordered Papa John’s cinnamon sticks for a study snack.
 “I was here Wednesday night; people were sitting on the floor by a plug for their laptop. It was wild,” she said. “Thursday night, you couldn’t even sit on the floor.”  
Freshmen Shannon MacKenzie and Michael France found a nook in the library basement near the Chao auditorium to be conducive to their studies.   Both said living in dorms and having roommates makes it hard to study late at night, so finding a place in the library for studying is ultimately helpful.
Aladin Sidahmed, a first-year graduate computer science and engineering student, said the most convenient thing about studying in the Tulip Tree is that it is easy to get coffee whenever you need it during normal hours. Caffeine is not the only thing that’s brings students like Sidahmed into the Tulip Tree. “At home I’ve got the PlayStation sitting right there,” he said.
Without distractions, many students find it easier to get more stuff done in less time at the library.
However, some wish that everything could be available late at night during extended hours for students. 
“How can I do research when I don’t have access to anything?”  said Jose Morris, a third year Kent graduate student. Byrne and Morris agreed that because of the requirements for their majors, access to many books and academic journals is necessary and often times when the library is only partially open, they can come there to study, but won’t have access to the things they need. 
Byrne also said that many of the journals he needs are located on the Health Sciences campus and it would be nice to have more journals available online so students can have access to them all the time.
Security officer Ashley Applebaum said Thursday night held the record for the library population during the extended hours.
On Friday night, the library was silent, but still crammed full of students cramming in information for tests or writing final papers for various classes.
“The only problem we have is when students don’t bring their ID’s to get in,” she said with a shrug.