Maroon Opinions

We like the food trucks, but...

I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard this, but is there anything that can be done about people eating in the library? This is the second time that I've seen someone go out to the food truck parked outside, bring a whole meal in, and eat in the reading room...

I know the library staff don't have time to be the food police, but what about some short-term campaigns--signs everywhere for a week or so and then a day of strict enforcement every now and then? Or maybe stricter consequences--rather than just asking them to stop eating (they'll likely resume as soon as the library staff person has walked away), kick them out of the library for an hour or so and limit library access for repeat offenders? I think if the library staff would be REALLY strict about this now and then, people would get the idea.

Here in the Suggestions Office, we admit to enjoying the food trucks and the greater variety of dining options they bring to campus. (Hutch gets old after a while.) But we agree that their yummy entrees are best consumed outside...or in Ex Libris.

Look for more "no eating" signs around the Library soon.

 

More Signs = More Better

(1) Someone has rebooted the computer on the 4th floor, on the immediate right of the staircase, and left it as it is. It is showing a blue screen and cannot be used. It is numbered jrl-ref4-11.lib.uchicago.edu

(2) I have noticed that signs saying "No eating in reading areas" have been installed in Ex Libris cafe. I think those signs are very effective, so I suggest you to put similar signs on each reading table too. There have been few courtesy signs in the reading areas from the first place, and I'm sure many users will be deterred from eating and talking if they are constantly reminded of the rules.

Thank you for the information about the computer, and for including the machine name! Our crack ADS staff, unsurprisingly, had already noticed the gimpy PC and are on the case.

As for the "no eating" signs, we used to have table tents with this information and they all mysteriously disappeared. Hmm. In any case, look for the table signs to make a reappearance soon.

Lockers and Hot Water Taps (though not necessarily together)

As a frequent library user, I would like to make some suggestions...

...it would be nice to have a water station that also has hot water on the first floor of the Reg. Ex-libris as well as other cafes on campus closes on weekends and during interims /breaks, and there is no way to get hot water. This is very crucial during the winter times, when it is very cold. I think one solution would be to install the water hydration stations like the ones in the Maroon Market, Hutchinson Commons and Midway Market. Instead of buying bottled water, people can fill up their bottles with filtered water (hot or cold) for free there.

Thirdly, it would be convenient to have lockers installed in the Crerar library. Crerar is the only library that stays open late consistently on weekdays and weekends during the interims and breaks. But there are no lockers to keep personal belongings. It is impossible to carry laptops or personal items all the time, and this is one of the main reasons that keep students from going to Crerar. It would be nice to at least have coin lockers, so people can leave their belongings in for a short while without having to worry about theft.

It seems a well-kept secret, because we hardly ever see anyone using it, but there is a hydration station on the first floor of the Reg. Admittedly, it only dispenses cold water.

However, when Ex Libris is open, we've noticed the cafe staff will often fill up your cup with hot water (note "yours" -- don't ask for a free cup) if you ask nicely.

***

We get occasional requests for lockers in Crerar (see this post), and while it might seem a fairly trivial exercise to move some of the lockers in Regenstein across Ellis Avenue, there's actually staff costs involved in maintaining locker operations.  We've achieved some economies of scale at the Reg -- locker rental being one of many services offered by our multi-talented IPO staff -- but it's not something we can replicate at Crerar without significant time from our circ staff.

We're also a little worried about uncharged Library material being "cached" in lockers -- in the past, we've had problems with patrons hoarding materials at both Regenstein and Crerar. (The old-timers in the Suggestions Office remember regularly discovering O-Chem textbooks squirreled away on the 2nd floor.)

What Part of "No Food" Don't You Understand?

Can nothing be done about the eating that seems to go everywhere within the library--in the stacks, in the reading rooms, in the group study rooms? I was reading microfilm today on the 3rd floor and the student next to to me worked his way through pizza, yogurt, and an apple. Its disgusting and distracting. I counted 15 people one the 3rd floor alone at around 3 p.m.!

Judging from the amount of empty bags and wrappers, the Library's prohibition against food gets contravened several times a day. (Unless someone is constructing a collage out of Cheetos.)

Unfortunately, there's very little library staff can do to prevent food from being consumed, especially on a Sunday afternoon when minimal staff are present in the building. However, if you notice someone eating egregious amounts of food (pizza qualifies as "egregious," in our opinion), and they've refused to stop eating when asked, please feel free to notify the nearest library staff member.

Snacks and the Cafe

I am very happy that Ex Libris is finally open and there is a place I can get fresh coffee in the library. However, I have noticed that the cafe carries a wide variety of small snacks (package of nuts, chocolate bars, etc.) and am concerned that it encourages eating in the reading rooms. Every time I am in the library, there is not a single day when I don't see someone eating at the desks. Now that the cafe has moved from the basement to the main building, it is far easier for users to grab a snack and bring it into the reading area. Small snacks are designed to be carried around and enjoyed wherever you please. If you get a small package of chips, it just doesn't make sense to sit down and take time just for eating it. If the library administration wants to maintain the rule that eating is not allowed in the reading areas, they should request the owner of the cafe to stop selling small snacks. As regards eating in the library, I should also note that the rule is not presented in a clear and compelling manner. There are only a few posters on each floor and the notices on the desks are tiny. To any concerned patron of the library, the current policies put in place display nothing but the administration's inaction and unwillingness to enforce their own rules.

We agree that small snacks are easily concealed and carried about to other parts of the library. However, we are hopeful that patrons will "self-police" and choose to consume their snacks in the cafe area.

(The Suggestions Office wonders if the old setup was more conducive, perhaps, to disobeying the food policy. It might have been slightly harder to get your M&M's, for example, but generally people didn't want to linger there.)

Cleaning up Ex Libris?

After reading the suggestions blog on the problem of people having food in the library, I have a suggestion--

Is it possible for the Reg to clean up the Ex Libris a bit and expand its space? I'm a doctoral student here, and the Reg is like my second home. I bring my lunch and dinner to eat at the Ex Libris almost everyday-- and I have to say, the Ex Libris is really dirty and gross sometimes (in particular the microwave and its tables! Sometimes they are really gross!!)

Additionally, there are not enough seats in the Ex Libris for students to eat food from fall to spring quarters. It's always crowded at noon. Sometimes when I can't find a seat at the Ex Libris and am starving, I'm almost temped to eat my lunch at Reg as well. I suspect that's why so many people just eat in the library -- if they are hungry, yet there is not enough space in the Ex Libris, they would have to eat their sandwiches in the library and annoy other library patrons...

 

Yes, the A-Level canteen space is pretty dismal, and we've heard from many people about the need for a better coffee shop. (From a 2006 faculty task force on the Library: "there is universal sentiment for a coffee shop of better quality and aesthetic appeal than Ex Libris.")

 However, plans are moving forward to relocate the café to the northeast corner of the first floor -- the section currently cordoned off with yellow caution tape. We're still figuring out how much this will cost and what we can afford, but if everything goes according to plan we should have a much more attractive space to get a sandwich or a cup of tea in the fall. We're hoping this will encourage people to eat and drink in the café area rather than migrating elsewhere with their food.

Crumbs are Gross

I often find crumbs or other remains of food left on the desks. I remember the rule is that food is not allowed in the reading room. I believe the rule should be strictly enforced.

It looks like the issues of irresponsible behaviors of some library users come up every few months on the blog. But, despite the fear of being redundant, I would like to urge the library administration to take the issue seriously.

As a suggestion, it would be very effective if a library personnel simply circulates the reading area every few hours or so, and give warning to unruly behaviors.

As you note, this isn't the first time we've had complaints about food in the library. I presume you're referring to the reading rooms in Regenstein; if so, you are correct that food is prohibited.

Although we do take this rule seriously, it is one of the most difficult rules to enforce, since patrons often hide their food when a library staff member walks by. This behavior, plus the lack of personnel, make it difficult to "make rounds" in all the reading rooms.

However, if you notice someone eating in the reading room, and don't feel comfortable approaching them yourselves, please feel free to alert the nearest Library staff member. We will be happy to remind them that food should only be consumed in the Ex Libris canteen.

Food in the Library

I really wish that you would do something to enforce the rule that you have signs up everywhere about that people shouldn't eat in the library. The rule is routinely and obviously being broken -- it's disruptive to people who are trying to study to have listen to and smell others popping coke cans, crunching chips or slurping on soup, and in the long run it's making the library dirtier since people invariably spill things.

Well, at least someone is reading the signs...

Eating in the Reg (I assume you're speaking of the Reg?) is a long-standing issue. This year we've introduced more visible signs and hoped people would respect food and non-food zones.

The best and most effective defense against eating is are patrons who actively ask their fellow library users to stop eating in the reading rooms and other non-food areas. Please feel empowered to ask those eating to put their food away -- it may even be more effective if you ask them, because usually people just wait until we (the staff) leave and then resume eating.

This being said, if someone refuses to stop eating their soup/chips/whatever, feel free to involve Library staff, who will remind the offender of the no-food policy.

eX Libris closed for Memorial Day and Summer

I went down to eX Libris on Memorial Day and they were closed! What gives?

To pre-empt future suggestions, the Office would like to inform readers that eX Libris, the coffee shop in Regenstein, will be closed Sunday May 30 and Monday May 31 in honor of the Memorial Day holiday.

(The Reg will be open this weekend, albeit with reduced hours at many service points.)

Looking further ahead, eX Libris will close Thursday June 10 at 5PM, and remain closed until Autumn Quarter, unlike previous summers. If your summer plans include long stretches in the Reg (ours certainly do!), you'll have to get your caffeine fix elsewhere.

Beverages in the Library

Please allow coffee or hot beverages when covered with lids. There are water fountains within the library and I fail to see a difference between filling your water bottle from the fountain and having a closed-lid-drink or coffee. Thanks.

Indeed there is no difference, and the Library does permit beverages in covered containers.

We apologize if you weren't allowed to bring coffee or tea suitably covered.