Re: Coffee in the library, rehashed

[Reggie Buresh <rburesh@TIES.K12.MN.US>]

Hear, Hear! I hadn't thought about the safety / health issues...remember
the McDonald's lawsuit regarding spilled hot coffee? Can't you just see
the headlines on the evening news:  "9th grader suffers facial burns in
the school library after turning down a date." I asked a colleague what
he thought about this, and his response was: If you have to resort to
food to attract the students, you need to look at your whole program and
resources. Something's out of balance if they find little else of value
in there. Maybe we're just striving for a more academic...and I don't
mean "stuffy"...atmosphere. There has to be SOME place in the school
where they can be assured of a clean, welcoming yet studious atmosphere.
Also, maybe we're getting enough "business" and don't feel we need to
resort to gimmicks to attract more. Those of you who try it, I wish you
well, and would like to hear in a year how it's gone.

-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Anderson, Julie LHS-STAFF
Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2002 9:22 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Coffee in the library, rehashed

I shudder at the thought of a coffee bar in the library. A librarian in
our
district allowed students to bring in food and drink for part of year
before
changing her mind. She made this decision after hours spent cleaning up
after students who began to think of the library as a restaurant and
left
their empty cups, napkins, etc. on the tables rather than throwing
things
away. She also had many large stains on the carpets and a number of
reference books which had to be replaced due to coffee spillage.

>From my point of view, we have a different mission and different
restraints
than the bookstores with coffee bars in them. First, we have an
obligation
to the public to "steward" resources and facilities (for want of a
better
word). If items are damaged in a bookstore, than can deduct that as an
operating loss, but schools don't have that option. Second, the
bookstores
have paid employees who are responsible for food and beverage
preparation
and clean up, while we do not. We are paid to be teacher-librarians and
not
custodians or food service workers. The librarian in my district spent
an
inordinate amount of time cleaning up, keeping her from her library
duties.
The public libraries with coffee bars that I am aware of also have
someone
whose job it is to prepare and clean. Third, at least in our state,
health
inspections of the facility and health cards for those working with
preparation would be required. I don't want to have to pay for these
things
or monitor them.

As I said, this sounds like a nightmare to me. I have enough to do
without
adding this to my plate. Perhaps I'd consider it if we had a paid person
to
handle it. That's not likely in my district since I don't even have a
permanent assistant.........

Julie

Julie Anderson, Librarian
Liberty High School, Renton, WA       425.837.4901
andersonj@issaquah.wednet.edu

"Fiction is a lie about the truth." Jane Chambers

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