[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
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
A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
In body of message: SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
*or*: UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
Problems? Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt