[Michlib-l] nut-free libraries

[Stanczak, Cindy]

Thank you, Nyama.  I was following this thread with interest and these are
great points that I wouldn't have considered.

*Cynthia Stanczak*
Library Director
Albion District Library
501 S. Superior St.
Albion, MI  49224
(517) 629-3993

Albion District Library: Transforming Minds, Changing Lives.
Proudly serving our community since 1919.
Online at www.albionlibrary.org, or find us on Facebook!


On Wed, Nov 13, 2019 at 3:50 PM Reed, Nyama via Michlib-l <
michlib-l at mcls.org> wrote:

> Hello Melissa,
>
> I encountered a similar complaint a couple years ago - plus I am allergic
> to peanuts and many other foods and live with this on a daily basis. I
> looked into library policies on it quite a bit and settled on no policy or
> signage.
>
> My feedback to the patron was:
> 1) Schools are able to be nut-free bc they are a controlled environment.
> They control who comes in and what is eaten.
> 2) A public library is not a controlled environment.
> 3) We could put up signs and set a policy, but people will ignore them.
>         Ex. Someone may sneak into a corner to eat a PB&J sandwich. Or may
> eat it before coming in and then touch the doorknob with the peanut butter
> oils.
> 4) The presence of signage and a policy may give people living with nut
> allergies a false sense of safety in the library.
> 5) As a person who lives with food allergies I have to be hypervigilant in
> all environments for my own safety and it is best if families remain
> hypervigilant too.
>
> I expressed great concern for the grandmother and her granddaughter and
> stated that I live with it too, so I empathize with the fear and concern
> for her child. Alas, we cannot guarantee a safe environment even with
> signage or policy.
>
> Sincerely,
> Nyama
>
> Nyama Y. Reed
> Library Director
> N.Reed at WFBLibrary.org
> 414-755-6551 (direct line)
>
>
>
> Whitefish Bay Public Library
> 5420 North Marlborough Drive
> Whitefish Bay, WI 53217
> 414-964-4380 (main line)
>
> Our Mission
> The Whitefish Bay Public Library, as a cornerstone of the community, is
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>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. nut-free libraries (Melissa Malcolm)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2019 09:46:27 -0500
> From: Melissa Malcolm <melissa at lib.lapeer.org>
> To: Michlib-l <michlib-l at mcls.org>
> Subject: [Michlib-l] nut-free libraries
> Message-ID:
>         <CAChhsn6LLO983ZqCwZnzzaCUaX=
> naUfFs9Hdjyz8NJUyLZm9Tw at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Hi all--
>
> Happy snowy Monday!
>
> The library had a complaint on Saturday about our not being peanut-free.  I
> know that schools have those policies but had not heard of libraries having
> them.  I did find a couple of public  libraries outside of Michigan with a
> notice that the library is nut-free, and one with a policy.
>
> Is there a Michigan library with a policy,  and what do the procedures look
> like for enforcing it?  Do staff members need to make sure that their
> lunches and snacks do not contain peanuts, almonds, etc?
>
> Thanks for any advice!
>
> melissa
>
> --
> Melissa A. Malcolm
> Library Director
> Lapeer District Library
> 201 Village West Dr S
> Lapeer, MI 48446
> melissa at lib.lapeer.org
> www.library.lapeer.org
> 810.664.9521 <callto:810.664.9521> ext. 3113
> "If liberty and justice mean anything, then access means everything." --
> Charles Ogletree
>
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