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Food in the library and archives



Dear Listers,
         Help!  I need ammunition.
         Please note an email I have just received from my library director:

Food and Beverage Policy:
         While we, in Public Services, continue to support the basic premise of the Food and Beverage Policy which is that we allow drinks in the library if they drinks are covered, we have relaxed the policy somewhat and have not stopped to study groups from having light snacks such as crackers or granola bars.  We have not told students or faculty to surrender their food or put them out of the library.  We do request that any student who has brought a meal (salad, or otherwise) into the library to go into our "break/lounge area" to eat.  You can see we are trying to be accomodating [sic] within reason.  Sometimes someone will conceal food and without doing a body search, we are not able to detect food they may have in their possession.  I have asked Lily [our PART-TIME housekeeper] to alert me if she finds "meals" in the trash cans.
         We must remember that when library staff and faculty are cooking [microwave], eating, and handling library materials at the same time and are seen doing this by students, then our policy when fully enforced seems unfair and creates frustration and complaints from students.  I do not wish to enforce our strict policy upon staff and faculty as you understand.

         There you have it:  an open invitation to munch and lunch in the library, as far as the students are concerned. Since when have cockroaches recognized where the library ends and the archives begins?
         If I sound unhappy, I am.  This latest change in policy is hardly "best practice" for preservation of collections, wherever they are.  And the little privacy accorded library staff members to have their lunch or treats in a staff lounge area has now been ceded to the public.
         What authoritative sources can I cite to this director to show her the error of her ways?

Gratefully yours, with thanks in advance,
         Jean





Jean Reed
Archives Specialist
Queens College
Charlotte, NC 28274
(704) 337-2493
reedj@rex.queens.edu
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