Food and drink is currently not allowed in the Camplindo library.
According to librarian Pat Hadley, the policy is in place to help keep the space clean. “We have carpeting on the floor, we have books in the library. We do not have anyone who cleans up the library,” she said.
“We also had ants, rats, and cockroaches when I first got here. That is another reason why we could not have food in the library,” Hadley said.
Nevertheless, the rigid “no eating” rule should be reconsidered.
I think that high school students are now old enough to eat around computers, textbooks, and other library materials. I eat around my textbooks and computers at home, and I never spill.
If a student does spill on a textbook or a computer, then he or she should have to pay for the damage. The price of the item and the severity of the damage should determine the punishment for the student. If someone were to spill their drink on a $75 textbook, they should have to buy a new textbook for the library, and be suspended from using the library for a couple of days. If it is a minor spill on a desk, and the student is reluctant to clean it up, that person should be forced to clean it up and be suspended from the library for a couple of days.
Students who do not pick up their trash should be forced to leave. They should also be suspended from using the library for a day.
If students were held accountable for keeping the library clean and there were harsh punishments in place for those who made a mess, I doubt there would be a problem.
There are benefits to being able to eat in the library.
Having to eat outside the library is an inconvenience. Lunch is only 35 minutes long. By the time I’m finished choking down my food, there is little time left to get in the library and utilize its resources. I would get more done if I were able to eat and work in the library simultaneously.
Because the library fills up quickly, having to eat ahead of time often results in missing out on library study time altogether.
Furthermore, it is cold during the winter months, and hot at the beginning and the end of the year. The bad weather makes eating outside miserable. Not every student can find a classroom in which to eat, so the library could offer a way to stay out of the sun or stay warm while eating lunch.
Eating in the library would be beneficial to busy students and those hoping to escape Moraga’s bipolar weather.
