By: Alvin Wilson Staff Writer
Do you ever find yourself studying in the library, when you’re suddenly overcome by a strong craving for food and caffeine?
Well, my fellow coffee fiend, worry no more. Hamersly Library is completing its latest improvement: a new café.
The café will be called The Press, and it is set to open on April 13. The opening date has changed a few times due to unexpected delays, and it is still subject to change.
So why build a café, something that creates a lot of noise, in the library?
According to Dr. Allen McKiel, director of library services at Hamersly, the noise was part of the reason.
“Studies of library usage over the years have resulted in a conceptual shift in understanding environments conducive to and supportive of studying,” said McKiel. “Libraries have been converting their spaces from ubiquitous quiet areas with tables and hard backed and bottomed chairs […] to a variety of study areas that have […] different noise level zones.”
McKiel said the increased noise level shouldn’t be a problem, since students generally don’t study on the noisier first floor of the library.
“We expect the first floor to get a bit noisier, but it is generally not the place where students who prefer quiet spaces study,” he said. “As a student, I used to study in the cafeteria where there was a lot of undifferentiated noise—white noise. The quiet places just made any little noise stand out, which I found disruptive.”
McKiel said a café in the library would benefit students who want to study for longer periods without stopping.
“The decision to put the café in the library arose from the studies that indicated that food and drink were an integral part of the study habits of many students,” he said. “Having food available in the library encourages longer stretches of studying, since leaving the library to find food tends to disrupt and provide distractions that often prevent a return to studying.”
The Press will offer more food items than Café Allegro, and can be expected to be open longer hours (Monday to Thursday 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. and closed Friday and Saturday.)
