HANDLING
LIBRARY MATERIAL

Why can't I eat in the Library?

Accidents waiting to happen
Liquid spills and the contents of a sandwich or chocolate bar cause permanent stains; remember that dirty, sticky, grubby, greasy, unwashed hands leave unsightly and indelible marks on library material. Everyone is familiar with how unpleasant it can be to sit in a seat of a train where the previous occupant has left the remains of a snack or take-away food. We all know that coffee cup rings and sugar granules lead to a very sticky mess.

Keeping a library clean is a very costly exercise even when food and drink are not allowed to be consumed. Introducing food and drink into libraries would mean having cleaning staff permanently available throughout the day to clean up after people who have finished wining and dining.

Many of the libraries within Oxford are in historic buildings. Removing food and drink stains on library material is almost impossible; removing food and drink stains from furniture and fittings is very expensive. Do you know that removing a coffee stain from an ordinary carpet costs £50 and that removing chewing gum costs even more? Libraries today simply do not have the resources to do this and need to concentrate their efforts elsewhere.