Got an opinion about the dining options at Drexel? Fill out this survey and make it known. Taco Bell, housed at Hagerty Library, is in the mix!

If you have any questions, please contact Kaitlyn Ambrosiani at kra28@drexel.edu or 215-895-1562.

I am not really sure why there is the no food policy throughout the library. Yes, it can cause messes, but 99% of the time student are careful and cleanup after themselves. You cannot honestly say that an hoagie from the lunch truck is detrimental to the library in any shape or form.

Thanks for writing. The food policy is written in such a way as to be lenient, but not overly lax. In fact, we did try doing away with the food policy completely a couple of years ago, and we paid the price with a spike in litter, garbage, and varmints. The Drexel buildings that allow any type of food are also equipped with the staff to deal with the resulting mess. Hagerty Library is not set up with that kind of staff. Even with our current policy and our efforts to enforce it, library staff continually find themselves cleaning up left-behind food messes. There is no one in the library whose job it is to do this.

We are duty bound to protect the people who use the library and also the books, DVDs, and other resources within the building. That protection includes attention to cleanliness.

Here are a few places on our website that might answer some questions regarding Hagerty’s food policy :

http://www.library.drexel.edu/about/foodanddrink.html

http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/librarylog/?tag=food

http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/thesuggestionbox/?tag=food

Need a study break? Take the Drexel dining survey, and tell the university what you think of the food options on campus.

Taco Bell is on the survey, so if you love to eat cheesy gorditas while reading library books, here’s your chance to say so.

Here’s a comment from a recent post on the Bookmark Café:

It’s ridiculous. The place SMELLS terrible despite the cleaning schedule. We need an ID to swap both in AND out of the cafe, even when taco bell is closed (which doesn’t make any sense). And coffee is the most practical addition to the 24-HOUR cafe. There’s a taco bell on 34th and walnut and at 30th street station! Why do we need one here? If anything, we need affordable coffee (like Dunkin Donuts). I mean, COME ON, it’s a TWENTY-FOUR HOUR CAFE! It only makes sense.

Thanks for your comment. You’ve raised a number of good points.

1. Smell: We’re sorry about the smell. Unfortunately, we can scrub the place until it shines, which we do daily, but we can’t get rid of the food smell.
2. Security: The library proper is a controlled space, and our security system keeps careful track of who enters the building. This is one of the measures that we take to ensure the security of our library resources and the Drexel community that uses them.However, the café is a mix of both public and private space, and because the rest of the library building is accessible from the café, this presents some security issues for us. The café is open to the public via the 33rd Street entrance from 11am to 5pm on weekdays, which, for all intents and purposes, makes the doorway between the café and the library a public entrance. For this reason we must check IDs for entry into the library from the café during these times.

   You may ask “why do I have to scan my ID on the way out?” Here’s why: There is one doorway for entry and exit between the café and the library, and the security system requires that a card be swiped to open that one door—no matter which side of the door you’re on. This is different from the security system at the library’s main doors, which has one entry point and one exit point, eliminating the need for swiping out. For the security of the library and the Drexel community, we must have a system in place to track everyone who enters the building, and at the café door, this system requires that you swipe out as well. We know it’s a hassle, but it keeps us all safe, secure, and more comfortable.

3. Coffee: Like your other comments, this is a common one, and we wish there was something we could do about it. The food selections all around campus is controlled by Drexel’s Dining Services office. We suggest you let them know how you feel, as others have done. Feedback for Dining Services can be emailed to Shawn.James@sodexo.com. Dining Services also has a feedback form. As of now, you can’t choose Hagerty as a dining location on the form, but you can mention that in the comment section.

In response to a recent query about flies in Hagerty’s lower level:

Of course you can take care of the flies. It may look bad, but fly traps work fine. Stop blaming food. Flies can live for months.

Thanks again for your comment. We will look into installing fly traps. Regarding the food ban, please see our recent posts about this problem.

http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/librarylog/?p=1160
http://www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/thesuggestionbox/?p=1069
www.library.drexel.edu/blogs/thesuggestionbox/?p=1042

We are combating pests of all kinds here at the library, and while food may not be the only culprit, it certainly doesn’t help in the fight.

I want to eat lunch and study.

Thanks for the comment. I hear you. Eating while studying is convenient, and it can be annoying to have to take a break when you’re on roll. However, we simply can’t allow lunch in the main parts of the library. It causes too many problems, the worst of which include cockroaches, mice, and piles of greasy, smelly garbage. GROSS!

Our job here at the library is to make sure you have the research tools and resources you need to get a great education. If we shift our focus to running a dining facility, you lose out on your education. There are lots of places to eat on campus; there’s only one library. Now that the café is open you have a dedicated space attached to the library to eat your lunch.

I’m wondering if making entry/exit through the bookmark cafe possible, allowing students to bring outside food into the cafe (via the cafe door) and having a manned circulation window in the bookmark cafe (as part of the main circulation desk where students can check out laptops, reserve materials, etc) would alleviate all the problems and complaints about [the food policy].

Thanks for your interesting idea. However the problem is not that students enter the café through the library, but that the café is entirely closed for renovations for the summer, leaving students with no library space for eating their meals. When the café reopens in the fall, a library dining area will be restored. Complaints about the food policy have died down considerably since the beginning of the summer, and we very much appreciate everyone’s willingness to comply with the rules until the café reopens.

I’m happy there’s no eating in the library.

Thanks for your comment. Although the food policy may seem inconvenient, there are many like you who prefer the no-meals atmosphere. And of course don’t forget that we do allow small wrapped snacks and covered beverages when they’re not near the computers. Here’s the food policy in detail.

As you may know, Hagerty Library has recently received many comments about its policy against meals in the building. These comments include complaints that food policy reflects disrespect and distrust toward students and ignorance of high tuition costs.

If you are angry about being asked to leave your food at the door, please take a breath, count to ten, and consider these facts:

• When the café reopens in the fall, full meals will be allowed 24/7.
• If you’ve ever spoken with a library staff member, you know that they are respectful, helpful people who want to help you get the most from your education.
• Tuition revenue that goes to the library is used to fulfill its education and research mission—not to maintain a dining area.
• The food policy has been in place since November 2008, after a loosening of the policy resulted in mice, cockroaches, litter, and filth.
• Prior to the new policy in November, we received frequent student complaints about the smells, garbage, and noise associated with food in a place that is intended to be a clean and quiet study area.
• There are many places nearby on campus that welcome you and your meals.

Even with the food policy in place, library staff members have arrived in the morning to find the previous night’s food garbage awaiting them. This garbage includes:

• Mountains of orange peels piled next to computers
• Pizza boxes on tables with mice underneath
• Entire bowls of soup spilled on the floor and left to seep into the carpet
• Much more

Please join us in keeping the library clean and safe. This is the only way we can continue to provide the resources and services you need for your Drexel career.

We’ve had some commentary of late about recent food rule enforcement.

Since you’ve taken away the only place where students can eat in Hagerty due to construction, will there be a temporary location for hungry studious students? Before the café, the basement was designated as the food area. Can we reinstate the basement as a designated food area temporarily? Summer students get hungry while studying too. Plus, we pay tuition.

Please let us eat here. It’s no fair that us summer students always get the short end of the stick. Give us some slack until you reopen the café.

Thanks for the suggestions. We know this is frustrating. Many fondly recall the days when Hagerty library allowed people to eat entire meals wherever they wanted in the library. The direct consequence was a less savory memory: varmints.

As we all know, the only way to detract bugs, mice, and worse, is to not feed them. Facilities like the Bookmark Café and other food-friendly lounges have the staff to clean up what hungry students leave behind. As a library, Hagerty just doesn’t have those resources.

We recognize that summer students are just as important as students in other terms. This is why we want to keep the library clean and safe during summer—the season when leftover food most quickly turns into a stinky jackpot for pests. To combat your hunger, we’ve compiled a list, found at the end of this blog post of places where you can eat your meal on campus. And don’t forget that we are still allowing snacks and covered drinks into the building.