[Libs-Or] WARNING: touchless hand sanitizer machine alert!

[Senior, Heidi]

Hi All, I was just about to send the same message Max sent. Thanks, Max! Here’s an article if anyone would like to read more about the issue: . https://reporter.rit.edu/tech/bigotry-encoded-racial-bias-technology

Take care,

Heidi Senior

Heidi E. K. Senior
She/her/hers
Reference/Instruction Librarian
Clark Library
University of Portland
Portland, OR 97203
senior at up.edu<mailto:senior at up.edu> <> 503-943-8037




From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> On Behalf Of Max Macias
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2020 10:49 AM
To: Rhonda Alderman <RAlderman at clatsopcc.edu>
Cc: LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] WARNING: touchless hand sanitizer machine alert!

EXTERNAL EMAIL: This email originated from outside the University of Portland. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
________________________________
This is fascinating.

You should check your machines and make sure they work with dark skin tones.

Sometimes soap dispensers, and other 'smart' technologies don't perform for, or even recognize darker skin tones.

Respectfully,


Max Macias


On Thu, Jul 9, 2020 at 10:41 AM Rhonda Alderman <RAlderman at clatsopcc.edu<mailto:RAlderman at clatsopcc.edu>> wrote:
Omigosh, thank you for that, Dan... I really needed a laugh today.  (Though it probably wasn't a laugh for y'all at the time...)
Great detective work!
Cheers,
R


Rhonda Alderman

Dora Badollet Library, Technical Services

Clatsop Community College

1680 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, Oregon 97103

503-338-2508   ralderman at clatsopcc.edu<mailto:ralderman at clatsopcc.edu>

________________________________
From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at omls.oregon.gov<mailto:libs-or-bounces at omls.oregon.gov>> on behalf of dan cawley via Libs-Or <libs-or at omls.oregon.gov<mailto:libs-or at omls.oregon.gov>>
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2020 10:34 AM
To: LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov<mailto:LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov> <LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov<mailto:LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov>>
Subject: [Libs-Or] WARNING: touchless hand sanitizer machine alert!

Hello:

Fun times in Seaside.

Part of our morning protocol is to test the touchless hand sanitizing dispensers.  Oddly, neither machine was functioning this morning.

We switched out the C batteries.  Still not working.

Hurm...

In the past, we had several new boxes of worthless/expired C batteries.  Maybe we were putting bad batteries back into the machines?*

Our office hand soap dispensers are also touchless and run on C batteries.  Oddly, neither of the hand soap dispensers were working this morning, either.

What are the odds?  Infinitesimal.

After trying every battery in the building, we made a special trip to Rite-Aid for fresh, fancy, Duracell C batteries.

Even with Duracells, all four dispensers still not working!!!

(Insert foul language here).

To make a long story longer....we miraculously deduced that the touchless laser switches do not respond to jet-black nitrile gloves.

Both persons attempting to fix the machines were wearing black gloves.  The batteries didn't need replacement.  The gloves needed replacement.

Fun fact:  they work just fine with blue gloves.

Don't be like Seaside.  Test your soap and sanitizer machines without black gloves.

TLDR,

dan cawley
hand sanitizer technician



Daniel D. Cawley
Seaside Public Library
1131 Broadway
Seaside, Oregon  97138
503.738.6742

www.seasidelibrary.org<https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seasidelibrary.org%2F&data=02%7C01%7Csenior%40up.edu%7Cbfcac4d330dd4e1987bd08d8243083e7%7Cea8f3949231c40b6a33f56873af96f87%7C0%7C0%7C637299138090486083&sdata=TkAFc6Dy4o04ly0Dw0q2040FE%2FkXr2WbLiU0qjl4zbQ%3D&reserved=0>


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