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

[Penelope Hummel]

Thank you, Max—based on your recommendation, I took the time to watch Ruha Benjamin’s lecture and found it to be both illuminating and inspiring.  I particularly appreciated this quote from Derrick Bell:  “To see things as they really are, you must imagine them for what they might be.”  

 

Penny Hummel

Penny Hummel Consulting

penny at pennyhummel.com

503.890.0494

 

www.pennyhummel.com

 

 

From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> on behalf of Max Macias <max.macias at gmail.com>
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020 at 2:09 PM
To: "Senior, Heidi" <senior at up.edu>
Cc: "LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov" <LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov>
Subject: Re: [Libs-Or] WARNING: touchless hand sanitizer machine alert!

 

If anyone is interested, check out this video clip that Ruha Benjamin used in a lecture to describe this kind of issue.

 

https://youtu.be/JahO1-saibU?t=1808

 

 

Watch the entire lecture if/when you have time and are interested--it is very much worth watching.

 


Respectfully, 

 

Max 

 

On Thu, Jul 9, 2020 at 10:55 AM Senior, Heidi <senior at up.edu> wrote:

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 <> 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> 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

 

From: Libs-Or <libs-or-bounces at omls.oregon.gov> on behalf of dan cawley via Libs-Or <libs-or at omls.oregon.gov>
Sent: Thursday, July 9, 2020 10:34 AM
To: LIBS-OR at omls.oregon.gov <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

 

 

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