Would you like to see the new Lawrence Public Library building include a coffee shop in the lobby? / LJWorld.com

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“Sure. They’re working hard to stay relevant, and I say bully for them.”

— Evelyn Haaheim, administrative assistant, Lawrence

“I don’t drink coffee, but if I did, it would be relaxing. I think it’s a good idea. ”

— Kelli Daigh , Kennel technician, Eudora

“I think it’s a good idea. If you were there for a long time, you wouldn’t have to leave to get food and drinks. ”

— Mattie Beers, sales associate, Eudora

“I think having a coffee shop in the library is a good idea — if it’s owned by a small business. ”

— Amy Young, product manager, telecommunications, Lawrence

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milkman_dan 8 months ago

Why sure! I love coffee. In fact, when I was in Amsterdam, I spent A LOT of time in coffee shops; I'm better now, but I think I might have been addicted to Dutch coffee back then.

A sound proof music studio with free recording capabilites and retired music teacher's donating their skills to low income children....... who are truly interested in playing a musical instrument!! Music teaches people to listen!! Lionel Hampton one drum tom-tom solo....and this was not his mainstream instrument....He mastered the Vibes and is One class Act!!!

Lionel Hampton Tom Tom Solo by Eric_The_Red89

Wayne James 8 months ago

Just think of all the books with coffee stains! I think it would be a waste of taxpayer $$.

appleaday 8 months ago

You must not go to libraries much -- coffee shops and reading areas are very common. It's all about encouraging folks to browse and read.

chootspa 8 months ago

Because people never take the books home and drink coffee while reading them?

bad_dog 8 months ago

What if the coffee shop is publicly owned and is profitable, thus reducing the overall expense of the library to taxpayers? This could create a job or two. Would you take 2 lumps of that with your coffee?

chootspa 8 months ago

Um, you do realize that they planned on renting the space out to a private vendor to actually handle the coffee serving and selling part, right? Oh right, you didn't. It pays to be an LJ reader in more than name.

ridikkulus 8 months ago

Heck, yeah! The only thing better than a good book is a good book with a cup of coffee! Amy Young is right, though. It should be owned by a small business. It would have to be GOOD coffee, though... Not "Gas Station Brown Water".

make_a_difference 8 months ago

Absolutely not.

costello 8 months ago

No. Coffee shops don't belong in libraries.

chootspa 8 months ago

Does nobody read the associated articles with these things? That's exactly the plan.

cathywpoc 8 months ago

I think it's a good idea but the mess that it could make if not careful, spelling coffee on the books would not be good. Maybe if keep in one area so the main area would not have spills on the tables. You know that people don't clean up after themselves.

trinity 8 months ago

The Topeka library has a very nice coffee shop/food area. Just putting that out there. :)

Prairielander 8 months ago

As does (gasp!) Columbia, MO.

50YearResident 8 months ago

A new homeless attraction for downtown to keep the homeless downtown. What is next? Coffee and a roll, while you browse the free internet?

Leslie Swearingen 8 months ago

I think the coffee will be restricted to one area, and we can rely on adults not to spill coffee on their books. No coffee will be allowed near the computers. If this is to be a homeless attraction then the other coffee shops should have already done the job.

What makes you think this has anything to do with the homeless?

Borders had a coffee shop before they closed.

Leslie Swearingen 8 months ago

No. Not within two blocks of seventh and Vermont.

kernal 8 months ago

Did La Prima Tazza by Liberty Hall close down?

thefisherman 8 months ago

Bad idea. Cups, napkins, stir sticks left everywhere. Who gets to clean up the mess? It had better not be the library staff.

chootspa 8 months ago

That isn't actually a terrible idea. At least give hiring priority to shelter residents looking to make a fresh start.

bergerfry 8 months ago

If so many people were not such lazy slobs I would say yes, but having worked in the service industry most of my life I can safely say that it's a bad idea to have snacks and beverages in the public library. Too many kids running around with no discipline also makes that a very bad idea. I say stick to the water fountains.

NO FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED IN THE LIBRARY.

Leslie Swearingen 8 months ago

There are no kids running around the library. Let kids just be kids and act their age within reasonable boundaries.

chootspa 8 months ago

You realize that snacks and beverages have long been allowed in the library, right? They've had meeting space for quite some time, and you could have food in them. The books somehow managed to survive.

rockchalker52 8 months ago

Sure, make up some coffee. Maybe a cuppa joe can keep me awake while I study some on them great works o' litter-a-chur.

I be workin' on 'The Complete Stories of Flannery O'Conner' & lemme tell ya, taint no easy chore keepin' the eyelids up while tryin' to figger whut that Georgia gal be talkin' 'bout.

Some of y'all got some perty rigid thinkin' on how things oughta be.

Leslie Swearingen 8 months ago

The coffee shop will be in the lobby which is quite common in libraries around the world. The library will not become dirty. The coffee will not be free so the homeless will not be lined up to drink it and then spill it all over the tables and books.

No, this will happen, people will adapt, and life will go on.

Did you never check out a book from the library, drink coffee while you were reading it at home and spill coffee on it? That is a much more likely scenario.

No worries, it's all cool.

hedshrinker 8 months ago

Topeka Public library is a model of this....a restaurant with delicious food, worthy of an outing in and of itself and also has a great gift shop which raises 4$$ for the Library....also sells used books. I don't think anybody is suggesting it would be free.

kernal 8 months ago

I've never ever spilled anything on a library book, not even when I was a child. But, I've certainly checked out a lot of books from the Lawrence Library that had drink, food and what appeared to be blood stains (assuming a user must have had a terrible problem with nosebleeds). Never noticed anything like it at other librarys over the decades. I really hate checking out a book that has such a heavy food dropping on it that you have to use a knife to scrape it off.