The library is truly the crown jewel and central hub of Hellgate High School. Its three story ceilings, numerous seating options, natural light, and access to multiple different halls make it the perfect place to study, meet up with friends, or compare notes before a big test. These same traits also make it the ideal location to eat, at least in the collective mind of the student body. This creates a problem. For years, one of the few rules in the library has been a strict no-food policy. This policy can lead to conflict between students and librarians.
Micah Jaffe, a senior at Hellgate, said he sees where the policy comes from: librarians want kids to keep the library a clean workspace for themselves and others. Objectively, food can damage books and equipment. “Honestly I kind of agree with the policy,” said Jaffe.
Karen Buley, who’s been the library assistant at Hellgate for almost 12 years, said one of the biggest problems with students eating in the library is the impact it has on librarian-student relationships. “It causes us to be disciplinarians regarding that process, and we would rather not have to do that,” said Buley. She said it’s also a matter of mess and safety for the books and other equipment in the library.
“We would just like students to know and respect and honor that they have two really close places where they can eat. We have those cool bistro tables upstairs in the window, and we have the commons,” said Buley.
Regardless of these two places being so close, many students still choose the library as their cafeteria of choice. “I never eat in the library,” said one student, taking a bite of their sandwich in the library. “If I have a lot of [classwork] I need to do, I might eat lunch in the library once a week. At least.”
Jaffe said that he thinks eating in the library could hypothetically be a “helpful tool to get stuff done.” He said the library is the most focused environment available to Hellgate students, so he understands why many students choose to work and eat there when they’re on a time crunch. “[If you eat] anywhere else, your buddies are probably distracting you.”
“We want the library to be a welcoming place, but because we don’t have a huge amount of rules we want students to respect the ones we do have,” said Buley. While the library may be the best place to eat and get work done, it is against the rules to be seen eating food within its walls, so hopefully students will choose other places to eat in the future.
