Before you guiltily slip that bag of pretzels under your magazine and look over your shoulder for the descending wrathful librarian, let me tell you that where food in the library is concerned, the table is being reset. Many libraries welcome Patrons Who Nosh (pwns---pronounce it "Pohnz"), even provide the cafe that supplies their treats. In Oakland's recent budget battle, I think the revenue raising suggestion I heard most often was "hey, how about a library cafe!?"
But Eat the Library isn't just about whether we get to bring our Cheetos into the library. We'll talk about incorporating healthy food practices into your library---is there a way you can make healthy food more accessible for your patrons? Do you have young patrons who would bubble over at the thought of bringing treats to share one day from The Cooking Book? How can you, and why should you, build a community garden at your branch? And in these difficult economic times, how is hunger impacting your young patrons, or the adult patrons who accompany them? How do you know?
Let's begin with inspiration: the Calvert Eats Local program at the Calvert Library in Maryland. They hold a monthly potluck, all local ingredients, at the Prince Frederick Branch where they share food and exchange ideas for sustainable local agriculture. And I bet they bring their own plates.
--Amy
PS: The blog name? Like all great things, it came from the (collective) mouths of babes. This was a thank-you received by one of our children's librarians after she let a visiting class eat lunch in the courtyard.
Thank you, indeed.
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