7A – Testing the Hypothesis, Part 1

       You Have An Opportunity, Now What?

Custodians are burdened with keeping up with their workload because they are

using all of their time to cleaning up trash behind students.

                                                  

1. The custodians would be my who.
2. Custodians take a lot of time to clean trash instead of utilizing their time  in other areas that need attention, such as the restrooms
3. The restrooms need more attention, but they are not getting the extra needed attention   because the custodians are spending to much time cleaning up trash behind students.  This can cause people that spend most of their time in the library to not want to   be their.
4. This need pertains to the students because the time the custodians would get back

     benefits them, but also the custodians because they are less stressed about cleaning.

Questions:

1. Who is actually benefiting the most from this solution?
2. What problems would it create if this solution was to be used?
3. Is the problem really the trash in the library? or it it something else taking the time?
4. How much time would be actually gained back from the trash can being placed on the floor?

Testing the Why:

Not everyone thought that the trash around the library was to blame for them not keeping

the restrooms and other areas not as clean as they could be. A couple of people thought

that having less workers on a shift at one part of the day. Another reason they gave was

some custodians focus on other parts of the library that are less nasty to clean. Others thought

they were spending a lot of time finding trash that students leave behind.

Interview 1: Random person walking on the sidewalk

Do you go to the library? He goes to the library West, but he goes to Marston More.

On average how many times do you go to the library? On average he goes to the Library

on average 15 hours a week.

Do you see trash on the floors or on the table in the library? He sees trash in areas in the back of the library where people usually try and hide big meals their not supposed to have.

Is cleanliness one of the requirements you have for picking where you study? Cleanliness is one of the most important aspects of picking the place he wanted to study.

Do you feel there are areas that are not clean enough for you? I feel that places

where workers are not are less clean because they don't get caught eating food they're

not supposed to have.

What do you usually do when you get to an area where you want to be and it's not clean?

I will move spots when it is not clean because I don't feel like I want to clean.

Do you think people would be more inclined if trash cans were installed in the tables?

I feel that it would be a great idea to have trash cans closer because some students

are less inclined to clean when they are not being watched.

This person spends a lot of time in the library. I learned from this person that students

notice that they are not eating foods that are not allowed in the library. Students pick places where they know it would usually be clean enough. I could ask the next person some ideas to keep the library clean besides my idea.

Interview 2: Floor neighbor

Do you go to the library? sometimes.

On average how many times do you go to the library? 3 hours a week.

Do you see trash on the floors or on the table in the library?

sometimes I see trash on the floor, and it is mostly wrappers from starbucks and

bottles.

Is cleanliness one of the requirements you have for picking where you study? Cleanliness is important to me because I don't like being in places that are not kept in a clean state.

Do you feel there are areas that are not clean enough for you? I feel that the areas

that need to be cleaned more. She gave the example of going to the restroom and it not having the best smell.

What do you usually do when you get to an area where you want to be and it's not clean?

I change my seat when the spot is not clean which is horrible because when the spot

is good I don't want to move.

Why don't you clean the spot? she said that she does not cleaning after other grown adults.

Do you think people would be more inclined if trash cans were installed in the tables? She felt that the idea would eliminate time because they would not have to actively look for the trash that could bring bugs.

- This person does not feel obligated to clean after others, and feels like they should be called out for not cleaning.

This gives me insight on the feelings of the students who don't use the library services as much. It lets me know how students feel that don't go study at the library often. It basically gives the first impression of the library, and how the cleanliness of the library is.

Interview 3: Personnel working at the library

Do you feel the custodians are exhausted from work? I feel that the custodians try their

best to keep the library as sanitary as possible, and it does tire them out.

Do you see a lot of trash around the library? and if you do what areas?

I don't find a lot of trash that students are supposed to have, but I do see a lot of

trash such as plastic bottles, and chip bags.

Do students complain to you about the cleanliness of the library? I have had students

come to me complaining about the restroom not smelling as clean as it should be.

Why do you think the restrooms are not getting cleaned as they should? I feel that not

enough time is being put into cleaning them as regular as they should. Another reasons

is the flow of people that come into the library.

This feedback was good because the people at the library are other personnel that are there

a lot other than the custodians. This person confirmed that there is a problem with cleanliness

sometimes during certain times a year. The one time the flow of students are high is during

finals and midterms. The worker also let me know that they have complaints about the cleanliness of the library.

Interview 4: Custodian

Need: She wants the students to be more mindful of others in the library not just herself. She becomes aware of the problem when she has to clean and other students are noticing that trash is being left behind. She spends a thirty hour a week shift so she knows what students think the cleanliness. She says she spends most of her time walking around making sure that students are not leaving trash behind on the tales and around the library floors.

Where could you spend more of your time if students took the initiative to clean after themselves?  She said the restrooms are usually the place she needs to spend most of her time, but she can only get to it like three times during her shift to clean because she is cleaning trash around the library students level.

How did she think of a solution to cutting down time of cleaning? She would like the strategy of having trash cans stored within the tables. She said that she could easily make a route instead of picking up all the trash separately. “Working smarter not harder” is what Gloria said.

How much time do you spend cleaning the bathroom? She spends 20 minutes cleaning each restroom on their route, and there are about 6 bathrooms for each gender. She spends most of her time though picking up trash after students.

Reflection: Custodians are one of my main focus, and it gives me insight on whether they actually having a problem. Also it lets me know how much time they spend doing runs for the library, and how much time they spend on picking up trash behind students. About time she gets picking up trash the restrooms need another cleaning.

Interview 5: student

Do you go to the library? Yes

On average how many times do you go to the library? twice a week

Do you see trash on the floors or on the table in the library? yes I have seen dirt on the table

because my roommate had a plant class and he changed his plant over into a pot on the table.

Do you feel obligated to clean behind yourself? I don't feel obligated to clean behind

Myself.

Don't you want a clean space when you come to the library? I do want a clean space when I go to the library.

What do you usually do when you get to an area where you want to be and it's not clean?

I would usually move to different spot because I don't like working in an unclean area.

Do you think people would be more inclined if trash cans were installed in the tables?

I would definitely use the trash can that is installed in the table because it's more

conveinent to use.

This person is someone that does not take into account the other students wanting a clean area. They don't feel obligated to clean after other people. This person gave me another side of feedback because this is a person that does not want to clean, and feel like the custodian should clean. This person gives me insight on whether my plan would actually be useful.