(May 26/09) Regarding the abused computers in Mills: I am glad that there is going to be maintenance. However I do feel that these incidents are not inevitable. Currently they are, because there is no respect for community property. Im sure that there are many reasons for this, but a good way to help fix the effects is policy and enforcement regarding food in the computer area. I dont eat around computers, and I dont feel tempted to as is the case for many other reasonable-minded, mature students. Therefore it should be possible for others to behave this way too. Could the information assistants who are maybe 20 metres from the area not walk around the work areas a few times a day and ask people eating and drinking to do so elsewhere? This would not only prevent those people caught from causing damage to property for which everyone has paid, but also it would let others know that its unacceptable to act in such a way. Thank you.
For many years we did not allow food/eating in the library buildings, but lifted these regulations at Mills, Innis, and Thode within the past couple of years. Much thought and preparation went into this decision including adding extra garbage and recycling bins and also increasing the frequency at which spaces are cleaned. Lifting the food restrictions was one way in which we wanted to make users' lives easier.
Currently, we don't ask staff to monitor the eating of food at these stations because we do not have a policy which prevents people from doing so.
You would clearly like us to reconsider this policy or devise other ways to create a library environment where users are respectful of both the equipment and other users' needs.
To be perfectly honest with you, we are unlikely to implement a more restrictive food policy in the near future. We have created food free zones in some library areas, but that being said, we don't believe we have tapped all of the ways in which we can help to create the best environment which is satisfactory to all of our users. Thank you for contributing to this discussion and we welcome any of your ideas on how we can create such an environment. (May 28/09)
Answered by: bairdca,bannisl