9A Testing the Hypothesis, Part 2

                                              Continuing Your Opportunity Research 

                    

Interviews:

1.

The first person that I interviewed was actually a professor. He comes to the library in between classes when he needs to write his research paper. What surprised me is that he did not pay too much attention to the surroundings. He told me that he usually tries to stay in one area, and the area is usually clean. He told me he tried switching the area one time, and there was a Starbucks rapper so he switched back to the same spot. I also asked him would a trash can connected to the table make it more convenient for him to throw away his trash. He told me that he tried not to bring snacks into the library because he did not want to leave a mess behind, and he comes in the morning time so he’s probably already had breakfast already. This interview left me a few more questions to ask myself about my problem of taking the burden off of custodians to clean trash around the library. Does the staff really pay attention to the trash that is being left behind by students? Do people avoid bringing in food because they feel they are going to leave a mess? Does this reduce the amount of people that want to come to the library.

2.

The second interview that I did was with a staff member that works at the front desk of the library, and it was insightful because they made me think about the rules that they have for eating in the library. The staff member had an experience where a student brought fast food into the library, and even though she told her to stay down stairs to eat it, she ignored her request. This made me think about the rules that they have in place for the kinds of food students can bring into the library. She told me that they’re only allowed to actually bring in items that can be quickly eaten and disposed of and closed bottles so it won’t spill over. My solution to the problem starts with the students not throwing away their trash, and even if they’re bringing in the wrong food items, it will make them more obligated to throw away their trash.

3.

The custodian that I interviewed works only the night shifts, and she told me that the plan can be easily set up. She told me that the problem of finding trash around the library has been getting so out of hand. I asked her what was being done to solve the problem, and she answered “nothing” because people see it as custodians jobs to pick up trash behind them, but in reality, it’s actually hurting the people that come and use the restrooms in the library, and use the tables. The only progress that has been made to solve the problem is the staff at the front desk trying to monitor what food comes into the library, and the sign that they have at the top of the escalator that shows acceptable foods to bring in. In the scenario not much is being contributed to making sure the library is staying sanitary. So this is leaving the custodians overworked, and in result the library not so clean.

4.

The fourth interview was with another student that does not come to the library very often. When they do come to the library they don’t focus on how clean the library is because they overlook any areas that they're not sitting in. The only time they pay attention to the areas, and if they're clean or not, is when they pick their seat. What I find most interesting is that the person only uses the restroom in the back corner because they say it’s the most fresh. Most students only think about cleanliness when it directly affects them. I asked them did they ever leave trash behind when they leave the library, and they answered “yes.” They told me it was because you always think about your most important items first and about time you gather your belongings, your hands are full and the trash if left.

5.

The last interview was of a student that came to find a book for the first time at the library. It was a good experience talking to them because they gave me insight on the places you wouldn’t think trash would be. They told me they found a snack rapper in between the books. That shocked me because trash on the bookshelves was the last place I though trash would be. He told me some students did not respect the privilege of being in a place where you can study for twenty-four hours. That they don’t understand how important it is to keep the space, where you want to keep coming back to, as clean as possible. This interview gave me an opportunity to make my solution statement more relevant. There is trash in places I wouldn’t even have thought to look. That makes me wonder what other places in the library custodians don’t think to look.

                

Inside the boundary                    Outside the boundary

Custodians are not able to perform to their full potential because most of their time is being consumed by students leaving trash behind.	Students that leave trash behinds            are not throwing it away after                they're finished with it.
Custodians don't have an equal ratio of workers to keep up with all of the traffic that  comes through the library.	There are places in the library that custodians  don't even check for trash. Meaning their  is more burden actually  being added to their list.
Staff are trying to catch people coming  into the library with food they're  not supposed to have.	Little to nothing is actually being done to help the custodians with their workload. They're just expected  to clean. Does the school really care about the sanitary  environment.