By Timothy Ritterbusch, Staff Writer
Policy changes for employees at the Wheaton College Library this semester have drawn controversy from student employees, including a petition created by a former library student employee. The most notable change, made with the goal of improving service and professionalism, prohibits student employees from studying while working at the front desk.
At the start of the spring 2026 semester, student employees were required to sign an updated code of conduct stating that students would no longer be allowed to do homework while working at the front desk. In addition, library staff would no longer be permitted to listen to music while working in the library stacks.
Senior English writing major and former library staff member Esther Foster created a petition asking for leadership to reconsider the changes. The petition, signed by 15 student library staff members, said that the ability to do homework and balance academic expectations with work was a key draw of the job. According to Foster, employees had previously been allowed to do homework while working at the front desk after completing their other work.
“ I was already thinking a petition would be a good idea. I talked to a lot of my other coworkers, and they agreed,” Foster said. Foster said she was asked to leave the library staff after the petition when she failed to comply with the new policy.
Signers of the petition received a response by email in early February from Joshua Avery, team leader for access services and assessment at the library. Avery said that the changes were driven by what had been perceived as poor customer service, as well as a desire to maintain equity with library positions that were not as conducive to studying on the clock.
Avery said that leadership sought to maintain professionalism but was aware of the needs of student employees.
“None of this is meant to discount the realities of balancing coursework and employment, nor the positive contributions you each make to the library,” Avery said. He said in a later email that the policies would remain in place.
Student library assistant Milan Shroff signed the petition. Shroff, a sophomore engineering major, said that he would like the opportunity to complete homework while working.
“I would appreciate it if expectations were made such that it’s not an all-or-nothing when it comes to homework,” Shroff said.
Shroff said that he has always enjoyed working at the library and has observed positive effects of the policy change. In particular, he noted that the library staff had come together since the changes.
“ I think community has really been strengthened through some of the activities that we’ve been implementing this semester,” Shroff said.
Sophomore psychology major Mikayla Perez, who was hired at the library this semester, said that she had hoped to be able to do homework while working when she was initially hired. Perez chose to sign the petition despite not having been at the library when homework was allowed.
“ I haven’t really felt like something was taken away from me, but I can understand why other people are upset about it,” Perez said.
Avery described the changes as an effort to clarify expectations for library staff as an effort to improve consistency. He said that he would not be opposed to changes in the future.
“Our aim is to support a high level of service for library users while also helping student employees develop strong professional habits,” Avery said.
According to Perez and Shroff, some policies seem to be relaxing. For example, staff appear to be permitted to read books while at the front desk, though Perez said this remains unclear.
“ It’s hard because it’s trial and error right now where they’re trying to see how it’s going,” she said.
As policies evolve, library staff say they hope for a solution that both ensures good service while allowing them flexibility. Shroff said that he wants to find a way that enables students to do their jobs well while keeping up with their own work.
“ I believe that there could be a solution that takes into account the daily life of the student as well as the customer service that we want to provide,” he said.
