Food & Drink Policy for Library Staff

Effective Fall Semester 2002

Enforcement is Everyone's Responsibility

The success of the Hesburgh Library Food & Drink Policy will depend upon the willingness of the library staff to enforce it. While the library monitors will play a major role in informing users of the new food and drink regulations, all library staff share responsibility for this policy and are asked to monitor public areas for the presence of meals or other unapproved food, and for drinks in unapproved containers. Hesburgh Library users observed consuming such food or drinks should be asked to either dispose of it or leave the area. Library faculty and staff are not asked to police, but rather to help raise awareness of the Food & Drink Policy and direct users to areas where they may eat and drink freely. If a user does not respond appropriately to such a request, a monitor should be called. If the user does not respond to the monitor's request, campus security should then be called. No one is being asked to argue with our library users over the new policy.

Guidelines

To accommodate staff needs and work schedules, food may be consumed in staff offices and other staff areas when out of sight from the public. Drinks in acceptable, spill resistant containers can be consumed in all staff areas, including those in public view. However, eating or drinking while working with library materials is strongly discouraged. Outside of designated break areas, the department heads, working within guidelines for the preservation of library materials, are the final judges of where staff may eat and drink in their work areas. All staff should be careful and protective of library materials and make sure that all work areas are kept clean.

Finally, with respect to bringing food and beverages into the library, all staff members should provide good examples for patrons. Library staff should be as discreet as possible when bringing food and drinks into the library, realizing that users might perceive a double standard in enforcing the policy. If you bring food into the library and use public entrances, please be discreet and go directly to your work area. Consuming or openly transporting meals or drinks in unapproved containers in public areas is not permitted. Lunch sacks will be provided to all library staff; please utilize them for transporting food into the library, rather than carrying food through the library in paper bags with fast food logos, etc. Delivery of food into the library is prohibited; pizza and other food deliveries should be made to the lounge or concourse area.

Thanks for helping to preserve our collections!