No final decision has been made against keeping Lamont Library's extended hours during reading and exam periods this year, assistant librarian Philip J. McNiff declared yesterday.

Despite the recent statement by Keyes D. Metcalf, College Librarian, that last spring's late-hour experiment at Lamont was unsuccessful, the final decision on the matter will be up to the Office, McNiff said. Only the Administration has the funds needed to finance the extended hours, he explained.

To Examine Question

Yesterday, members of the 11-man Faculty Library Committee said they intend to study the late-hour question thoroughly at their first meeting late this month. Most of the members admitted they were unfamiliar with the problem and with the reasons behind Metcalf's statement, but expressed a desire to learn all the details.

One of them, Donald C. Williams, professor of Philosophy, indicated that he thought the Lamont experiment a success. The number of persons using the library during its extended hours last spring, estimated at between 688 and the minimum of 113 cited by Metcalf, "seems like a very substantial number of students," he said.

Metcalf himself, who is chairman of the Faculty committee, left on a week's vacation yesterday and was unavailable for comment.

Explaining the committee's reluctance to finance the late hours, Edwin B. Newman, lecturer on Psychology, said the group would rather spend its money on books, catalogs, and other reading material. "We feel it's somehow immoral to devote large sums to administrative costs," he added.

The financial support for last spring's experiment came, according to Newman, from a special fund made up of library fines. Asked what would happen to the fund this year if the experiment were not continued, Newman replied: "Metcalf would probably have trouble finding a use for the money."

But another committee member, Stuart P. Atkins, associate professor of German, suggested that any surplus funds should be used to buy books. Atkins said Lamont regular 10 p.m. closing time "seems reasonable to me. After that hour, students can always use House libraries and the basement of Memorial Church," he added.

Students agitating for extended library hours have pointed out, however, that the Church basement has been closed to all but Radcliffe students for two years.