Have Your Book and Eat There Too

A university library system should certainly instill a reverence for books in students, and Harvard College Libraries has done that job well. Undergraduates have been conditioned to the point that they would likely have an easier time robbing a bank than highlighting a library book. But libraries at certain colleges around the country have been recently allowing students to bring food among the books, much to the approbation of hungry students, and this more lax policy has not resulted in utter chaos amid the stacks. Harvard should also allow students to eat food in certain areas of Harvard libraries, and it can do so without harming the integrity of its collection.

Currently, no space exists where students can eat and study without a scolding from a library official. While the Lamont Café is currently a space within a library where students are permitted to eat, it is unsuitable as a study space for many undergraduates. Nearly popular enough to be a social hangout, it can be difficult to work amid the din of conversation. Worse, the entrance of a talkative friend can be a serious setback to understanding a philosophical treatise. Students need a quiet study space where eating is permitted.

Harvard students can be trusted to choose food that will not spill and will be expected to continue to keep the library free of trash. Students are allowed to bring lidded drinks into the library with no major consequences, so food is reasonable as well.

One serious concern about food in libraries is that the noise created by munching could interfere with the study habits of those who choose not to eat food there. It is therefore important that not all study space in libraries be converted to food-friendly zones. It would be easy to designate areas where food is still prohibited so that plenty of space remains for students who need silence to work.

It is also possible that the ability to eat in the library will make it even easier for students to spend long blocks of time there, studying for hours under artificial light. However, it is not the responsibility of the school to regulate students’ eating habits, and Harvard students should be trusted to make their own decisions about when and where they eat.

Finally, no one is advocating that students be allowed to bring food into the stacks themselves. Not only is there no need to chow down while comparing call numbers in Widener, but the stacks are cramped and in many cases rarely accessed, so rotting grapes rolling around underneath the shelves could present a huge problem.

While the libraries are important repositories of knowledge, they also function as the prime study space for students, and they can easily accommodate both needs by allowing food in certain areas. That is, students can have their library and eat there too.