Books and brews

Hale Library introducing coffee shop/cafe on first floor

 

Library visitors will be able to take their coffee and muffins straight to the stacks when Hale Library opens a coffee shop on its first floor.

"The culture and attitude of libraries toward food and drink has certainly evolved in recent years," said Lori Goetsch, dean of libraries. "Where there are students, there is food, and it has always been a challenge -- and often an unpleasant task -- for library staff to be the 'food police' when our primary goal is to provide service and assistance in using the library and its resources."

Those resources will expand to include baked goods, sandwiches and salads from the K-State Student Union, Starbucks Coffee and Au Bon Pain soups, according to Tina Griffin, the Union's food service director. The cafe opens for business Monday, Aug. 20.

It will be strictly "grab and go," Griffin said. No seating is available because there simply isn't any room.

The octagonal space, intended for security workers when Farrell Library was expanded and renamed in 1997, has the soft green walls and oak-trimmed cabinetry common to the rest of the building. Its small size belies the amount of ductwork, plumbing and electrical re-routing that had to be done, said Roberta Johnson, director of financial services and facilities for K-State Libraries.

Turning an unused room into a cafe sounds easy, but it's not, she said. Another complication was getting approval from the state fire marshal to move a pair of fire doors.

The library is paying for the remodeling, and the Union will pay for equipment and staff. The hope is that revenue will pay off those expenses, Johnson said. With an average flow of 5,000 people a day through Hale, library officials think there is a market for the coffee shop.

"Caffeine is part of college life," Johnson said.

The cafe will have a contest for students to name the space. Goetsch, perfectly willing to pun, suggests "Hale's Kitchen." She hopes its location -- in the sunflower entrance on the building's southeast corner -- will make it a nice stopping point for people traversing campus.

"Convenience is definitely a key element," Goetsch said. "Student and staff lifestyles have them on the run, and we often get asked about a place to grab a snack or get a cup of coffee for a study break without having to go outside of the building."

 

Photo: An as-yet unnamed cafe is underway at Hale Library. A contest will allow students to choose a name for the cafe that officially opens Aug. 20.