Library hours.

If a library visitor asks us:

When are the libraries open?

The quickest way to reply would be to say:

Library hours are listed on the TU Libraries website.

If an English-speaking student rushes to get into the library just at closing time, we can say:

The library is closing right now. Please come back tomorrow.

If the student asks when the library opens tomorrow, and it is a weekday, we can say:

8AM

There are different ways to say 8AM, for example:

8 o’clock tomorrow morning

or

8 in the morning

But it is easiest and most understandable to say:

8AM

If the student asks:

When does the library close tomorrow?

The answer will depend what branch of the TU Libraries is being discussed. If the conversation is happening on a weekday at the Pridi Banomyong Library, Tha Prachan campus, we can tell the student:

We close at 9:30PM.

or to give the information even faster, we can just say:

9:30PM.

It is important to remember the AM and PM to avoid confusion. If we say, for example:

We open at 8 and close at 9:30.

Some visitors may think that the library is only open for 90 minutes per day, open at 8AM and closing one-and-a-half hours later at 9:30AM. For that reason it is best to say:

We open at 8AM and close at 9:30PM.

To avoid a last-minute rush, it is helpful to let library visitors know in advance when the library will be closing. So, on a night when the library closes at 9:30pm, it may be useful to announce:

The library will be closing in 30 minutes. Please bring all materials to check out to the circulation desk.

or

The library will be closing in half an hour. Please bring all materials to check out to the circulation desk.

If the English-speaking visitor wants to know what days the library is closed, we can say:

Official holidays.

Or in the case of the Professor Direk Jayanama Library, the Faculty of Political Science, the correct answer would be:

Sunday and official holidays.

Or if the conversation is taking place at the Thammasat Library, Rangsit Campus, the correct answer would be:

Saturday, Sunday and official holidays.

or

Weekends and official holidays.

For the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Faculty of Economics, Tha Prachan Campus, the answer is more complicated. We would say:

Saturday and official holidays.

The library user might ask:

Are you open on Sunday?

Although it would be correct to just say:

Yes.

it would be much more helpful and polite to offer the information:

Yes, from 9AM to 4PM.

To save time, we might offer this information even without being asked, since library visitors probably will want to know. So if we are asked when the Puey Ungphakorn Library, Faculty of Economics, Tha Prachan Campus is closed, the most complete and useful answer would be:

Saturday and official holidays. Sunday we are open from 9AM to 4PM.

That way, we have saved the visitor the trouble of asking several questions by giving as much information as possible in response to one question. This is very courteous and efficient. If the English-speaking visitor is new to Thailand and does not know about when official holidays are, we can suggest:

Check the library website for updates.

or

Check our Facebook page for updates.

If the conversation is taking place at on Rangsit Campus at the Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarinda Learning Centre, the right answer would be:

We never close.

If the visitor does not believe this and asks again:

The Learning Centre never closes?

We can reassure them:

We are open 24/7.

That should make it clear that the Learning Centre is always open. If they ask again:

What about official holidays?

We would then add:

The Learning Centre is open on official holidays too.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)