We serve coffee every morning and have for a long time, probably over 10 years.
The public really likes it! We started it because a group of older men (the learning center) meet at various local restaurants and have coffee every morning and discuss politics. My goal was to get them into the library to have their coffee. Well it didn't really work. That's ok because lots of people come in every morning to read the paper and drink a cup of coffee, but the men (of the Learning Center) still meet at the restaurant. On occasion they stop by to read the Wall Street Journal and have a cup of coffee and they really liked the idea that I was trying to please them. We keep the coffee maker on a table in the lobby and usually make one pot a day (if it is a cold wet day in winter sometimes we will make two but not often) we try to take it up after lunch or when ever it becomes empty. If it is early in the morning then we make another pot. If it is late morning we wait for the next day. It has always worked out kind of like you would think. There is usually a lot left in the summer months and it will all be gone in the winter. I find it a wonderful PR tool that really doesn't take much work. For a while we had a coffee service that was really nice and if you can afford it I would recommend going that route, but if not it works out ok. It is really not that much work. The front desk staff keeps an eye on the maker and when it gets low they make sure it is turned off. We make the coffee before the library opens to the public so it is ready when they first come in. Please note this is no Starbucks. It is coffee with a sugar container and a powdered cream container with stir sticks, but hey, it is free and some of our little old men say it is a lot better than their wives fix at home. Susan Susan S. Mann, Director Library/MIS City of Hillsboro 118 South Waco Street Hillsboro, Texas 76645 254-582-7385 phone 254-337-0084 cell [email protected] ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Blanco Library Sent: Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:18 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [ctls-l] Coffee and staff Greetings all, I am trying to introduce some progressive ideas into my library, such as coffee for our patrons. I would like to hear from those libraries that have coffee for their patrons. How do you have yours set up, what time of day do you serve it, do you charge for it, how much involvement does it take from staff members, and what is your ratio of volunteers to paid staff members? I know it is a lot of questions, but we are trying to take all of this into consideration. Thank you, Crystal Spybuck Blanco South County Librarian
