Dear Editor,
Many on campus have no doubt begun to notice the Leave No Trace title and logo flashing on electronic billboards and cluster screensavers across the campus, most particularly in the Lamson Learning Commons. I would like to take a moment to fill you in on what this initiative is and how it came about.
As the Learning Commons was being developed, many of us had concerns about what the arrival of a Café and a loosening of the restrictions on food and drink in the library might mean to the overall cleanliness and appearance of our home. In trying to find a way to balance these concerns against the desires of our patrons for an atmosphere more like that of Borders or Barnes & Noble where they could enjoy a book or deep conversation over a good cup of coffee, it seemed that the Leave No Trace ethic tied in nicely to recent campus initiatives such as last year’s Go Green campaign through the Student Activities Office and Green Computing initiatives started by Facilities Services. The ethic also speaks specifically to our shared expectations that we and our guests make every effort to keep our Commons and campus clean. Other library efforts, such as our Electronic Reserves process, complement the ethic of LNT to tread lightly and conserve resources.
Please help us spread the message about Leave No Trace and help us keep our Learning Commons and our campus clean and beautiful.
John Martin
Coordinator of Learning Technologies
Lamson Learning Commons