No More Food at Library

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Published May 7th, 2014

No More Food at Library

By Cathy Tyson

After July 1 say no to the taco, or eat it outside the library; yes to the water. Photo Cathy Tyson

Say goodbye to taco Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and Thursdays and so on, inside the Lafayette Library and Learning Center. When the library opened its doors five years ago, the thought was to invite and encourage patrons to comfortably enjoy the "community living room." With the heaviest users of the facility being hungry middle school kids, there have been numerous problems and complaints with the food-friendly setup since the beginning. Turns out greasy sticky fingers on the many computer keyboards is a problem, along with greasy tables, finger prints on books, funky smells and more.

After hearing a litany of grievances, librarian Vickie Sciacca and Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation president Beth Needel suggested to the City Council that a new policy should be put in place. After some discussion, council members unanimously agreed. Starting July 1 food will be restricted and only beverage containers with a lid and water will be allowed. Patrons are welcome to eat in the many public outdoor spaces of the library - there are lots of tables and chairs along the First Street side of the building and near the entry plaza. The charming Bookmark Café will still be open for purchases of snacks, sandwiches and drinks.

The library has been a victim of its own success with a parade of kids most every afternoon that appear to come hungry. It's not easy to study for midterms if a fellow table-mate is chomping on French fries or crunching on nachos. Even though food isn't allowed at the many computers, library staff has to constantly monitor the situation.

Food will still be allowed in the Community Hall, which is used for a multitude of functions and events along with the Arts and Science Discovery Center that also hosts events. After hours festivities in the main library will continue to be allowed.

The Bookmark Café, located near the library entrance will remain open for business, but also on the city council's agenda was a change to their lease. As of July 1, the lease will be assigned to a new operator, Elham Rostami. There are 14 months left of the original five year lease, a long enough time to reconsider rent and evaluate the situation when the lease expires. Mayor Don Tatzin made a special point of thanking current operators Mona Amanat and Soraya Radmanesh, "for their years of hard work and always being cheerful and welcoming."



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