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Cal State Los Angeles students essentially opened their own library when they found the school’s shut at 8pm because of budget cuts. 

In response to the library’s reduction in hours, students found tables, power outlets, a copier and printer and opened their own study area.  University officials, after some initial unease, have essentially signed off on the students’ creation by helping them secure electrical hookups. 

Though students are glad to have the space to study, no one is pretending the makeshift “People’s Library” is a permanent or sufficient solution.  Noting that the makeshift space exists because of the same cuts students protested in mass earlier this year, one of the organizers said students were “studying in resistance.”

While some students can easily study at home, organizers argue that many Cal State students’ family obligations and living situations mean they don’t have another good study location.  As Anthony Francoso, one of the organizers, told the LA Times, “a lot of these students have to go home and prepare the family dinner or look after their little brothers and sisters; that’s why the library is so important.”

While the students may be able to temporarily replace the library’s study space, they can’t replace some of the other resources it’s losing.  Budget cuts also meant that the library cut subscriptions to 400 journals and 10 databases this year.

More form the Los Angeles Times