At the beginning of December, Snell Library staff announced that students will be required to swipe their Husky Cards in order to gain access to the library. The reason is to cut down on thefts, said Lesley Milner, associate dean of libraries. And while technical difficulties are preventing this practice from taking place as of press time, it will ultimately hinder students.

Prior to requiring students to swipe their cards, students simply had to flash their Husky Card to a proctor to enter the library. Those without a Husky Card showed another form of identification to be signed in. Milner said the problem lay with individuals who often used lost or outdated Husky Cards to gain access to the library instead of signing in, and the new practice will prevent this from happening.

Those without a Husky Card will still be able to gain access the same way as before, by signing in with a valid ID, so will it really reduce the amount of thefts? Those signing in are just as likely to steal as if they were using a lost Husky Card, not to mention, some of the thefts very well could be due to students. And the chances of library staff being able to pair stolen items with records of who came and went, especially at such a large library, are slim.

It’s a good thing that the school is trying to increase the safety of high-traffic buildings on campus, like Snell, but there must be a more efficient way to do it. Making every student swipe his or her card will only result in long lines and frustrated students.

During mid-terms and finals the library will be comparable to the 6 p.m. rush hour at the dining hall. Or the line you have to wait in to get your stir fry. Or the bookstore during the first week of classes. Studying is unappealing enough without having to worry about waiting an extra 20 minutes to get into the library.

Not to mention, many students need to get quickly in and out of the library to print papers off between classes. There is not enough time to wait in a line to get inside, and then wait in the quick-print station line as well.

Snell is simply too large and in-demand for this process to benefit students. People are still going to walk away and leave their things unattended to go to the bathroom and return to find their laptops gone.
Even if thefts do decline because of the policy, the majority of students won’t really reap any noticeable benefits – they will only be left with the headache of having to wait in more lines to study.