You are hereBlogs / H2otown's blog / Cafe at new library? What about Netflix for Books?
Cafe at new library? What about Netflix for Books?
H2otown has heard that there will be a cafe (!!!!) at the new library. She doesn't know if this is true, but she's very, very excited about it.
Offering coffee and free wi-fi would make the library a true beacon of civilization.
(Oh, right, books too).
Maybe the branch libraries should be opened as cafes which have convenient pickup/dropoff of reserved materials. It'll be like Netflix for books.
H2otown has a confession to make: she's not much of a library user. Though she reads copiously and owns many books, she's the kind of person who would pay $30 in late fees for a rental video. She's a big fan of Netflix, where the only penalty for keeping a video is not getting a new one until you mail it back. She'd be willing to pay for a membership to the library if it offered a similar service along with local pickup.
Makes ya think, no?
Offering coffee and free wi-fi would make the library a true beacon of civilization.
(Oh, right, books too).
Maybe the branch libraries should be opened as cafes which have convenient pickup/dropoff of reserved materials. It'll be like Netflix for books.
H2otown has a confession to make: she's not much of a library user. Though she reads copiously and owns many books, she's the kind of person who would pay $30 in late fees for a rental video. She's a big fan of Netflix, where the only penalty for keeping a video is not getting a new one until you mail it back. She'd be willing to pay for a membership to the library if it offered a similar service along with local pickup.
Makes ya think, no?
Oo! Oo! If this is true I will definitely make a herculanean effort to stay in Watertown when my lease runs out in August. I was recently in the UK and Bristol's local library had a cute cafe and a small, tasteful shop section. What a great way to keep libraries relevant in the age of Barnes & Noble! I was totally impressed. I would be so absolutely stoked if this happens.
Hi! I am the director of the library and we are working hard to make the cafe a reality. We will be advertising soon for a vendor to run it. There will be free wifi throughout the building and you can take that cup of coffee with you when you go browse for books, cd's, dvd's, whatever anywhere in the building (except the local history room).
I'd like to also follow up on the Netflix for books idea. How much interest do you think there would be in this program? Reserve a book, cd or dvd online through our catalog and request that the item be mailed to you. You would pay the postage both ways. We're always looking to provide services that people want and need. Do you think that people would be willing to pay for a service like this? Thanks for any input!
I'm not sure I would personally utilize it, but it would be especially useful for those with mobility issues or time constraints. I love the atmosphere of libraries and wouldn't miss out on wandering the aisles for anything, but I can see the possible usefulness of such a program.
Again, I am thrilled about the cafe idea. I wouldn't really want or need to take the coffee out of the cafe area -- I'm having horrible visions of wrecked computer keyboards -- but I would love to sack out with a magazine or just checked-out stack of books in a cafe setting without leaving the library. In the best of all possible worlds, the vendor would be a local coffeeshop owner like Common Grounds, etc. -- it would be nice to see a local businessperson benefit in place of a corporate giant.
Post new comment