New food and drink policy provides Library patrons with more options

The new policy has been approved by the faculty Board of the Library and the Library Student Advisory Group and permits patrons to eat snacks in most parts of the Library, with the exception of a few designated food-free spaces. Meals and messy or smelly foods will still be permitted only in designated Meal Zones. The policy applies to the Crerar, Eckhart, Mansueto, Regenstein, and SSA libraries, as well as the D’Angelo Law Library, which has had a similar policy in place since 2008.

In Regenstein, where the Ex Libris Café is often fully occupied at peak meal times, the A Level has been designated an additional Meal Zone.

To help protect Library collections and to provide spaces for users who wish to avoid the presence of food entirely, a few areas have been designated food-free, including the Mansueto Grand Reading Room, the Regenstein bookstacks, and the Crerar Lower Level West compact shelving. In addition, no food or drink is allowed in the Special Collections Research Center. Covered drinks will continue to be allowed everywhere except Special Collections.

The new food policy is designed to help the Library maintain an environment that is welcoming and comfortable, as well as supportive of study, research, reflection, and scholarly collaboration.

Patrons are strongly encouraged to take an active role in making the new policy a success. This includes cleaning up and disposing of their own food waste in appropriate trash receptacles and notifying staff of spills, as well as asking others to abide by Library policies or reporting violations to Library staff.

See the Library’s food and drink policy for more information, including a complete list of Library spaces where snacks or meals are allowed.

Updated September 17, 2015