With the start of the school year came some bothersome news: the library, which has previously opened around 7:40 a.m., will now not be opened to students until 8:00 a.m. due to a lack of available staff. Many argue that there is no way that slow-moving, groggy teens could cause too much commotion for just a few librarians to handle. Still, the existing staff already have full work schedules. Although many students have complained, there are no signs yet that the time will return to what it once was.

This 20-minute adjustment is a great inconvenience. In the morning, the library is often used when students need to print something for class or finish an assignment that could not be completed the night before. Many have valid problems with technology at home and need the library’s computers to complete schoolwork. Now, with only a stressful ten minutes available in the library before classes start, there is too little time to get anything done.

It was always nice to know that if you got to school early and didn’t want to be caught up in the energetic tangle of talkative teens and spirited morning people, you could enjoy some quiet time and ease into the day by printing out work, reading a magazine or doing a crossword in the library. There are already few places that a student can achieve this around Mamaroneck High School, and now there is one less.

We hope the staff situation will soon be solved and everyone can once again enjoy the benefits of the high school’s library in the early morning.