Library Cafe to Arrive this Winter

Finishing his math homework, senior Jonathan Regenold craves a light snack. With the clock reading 9 p.m. and the dining hall closed, Regenold finds no option but to continue with his homework, resisting his aching stomach. However, after January 2015, students like Regenold and other library patrons will be able to satisfy their hunger at a new cafe in the ground floor of the library.The cafe, a small part of the new “Library Commons,” will serve various functions. Students will be able to have a quick bite or a drink, meet with other students at a Harkness table, have easy printing access, and charge their phones in public power outlets. As the first phase of the “Library Renewal Project,” the Library Commons aims to accommodate a wider variety of needs of students working in the library.“The new Library Commons will be a transformative space,” Academy librarian Gail Scanlon said. “It will provide flexible options for study, meetings, socializing and events—all in support of the creative process.”Student Council President Benjamin Cohen, who worked on the plans with Scanlon and others, further explored the options the Library Commons will have to offer to students. “It will be a place to relax, a place to take a break from work, and, I mean, if you get hungry in the library you’ll be able to eat there and bring in food there. It will just be a nice escape in the library,” he said.The entirety of the project has only just begun; it is exciting to imagine what the library has in store for the future. The idea of the “Library Renewal Project” was initiated in 2012, following Principal Tom Hassan giving the Library Renewal Committee a charge. According to Scanlon, the charge read, “As an initial foundation, collect and review prior documentation related to facilities renewal and program needs.”Throughout the two years of developing this project, the committee has been able to cooperate with several architectural firms such as Ann Beha in Boston and Brightspot Strategy in New York to set the outline of the upcoming phases. Even today, the committee is studying the needs of the library in order to continue developing a program for the future.But for now, the cafe and the renovations on the base floor of the library have been the primary focus. Many students are ecstatic about the well-awaited new additions to the Academy’s library.Cohen said that the cafe will be a helpful for the Exonian community.“I’m not sure if the cafe that we put together in the library last term had anything to do with this recent push. But we are really excited about it and the architects are going to come to student council to present the renovation and we are going to give them feedback,” he said. “We are just really excited because we think this is a great thing for students, it’s just going to make people more happy on campus and that's what we're all about.”Students around campus are equally as excited. Many think the new renovations will encourage students to work in the library more often, as well as offer a method of relaxation or stress coping. “I definitely think this will encourage students to work in the library. Just think of how many students normally go to Me and Ollie's to work. Part of it is the atmosphere, the other is the food,” lower Rachel Luo said.Upper Pranay Vemulamada agreed with Luo regarding how popular the cafe may become. "I don't know if it will attract more students to the library, but it'll definitely be appreciated by the students that do go to the library, especially when big assignments are due,” he said. “Since it is in the periodicals room, I don't think it will bother kids. I don't think it'll be like a place of socialization too much just where you can go grab a quick snack. People aren't going to like hanging out in the periodicals room.”Vemulamada, although acknowledging the pros of installing the new cafe, revealed a possible downside to the renovations. For those who use the library, specifically the periodicals room, to focus and study in peace, the noise and food may end up distracting students.Upper Tim Wu agreed. “I think it would encourage students but I also feel like that's not the point of the library,” he said.Although the prospect of readily available food at the library sounds foolproof, students have shared Vemulamada’s sentiments regarding the way students will use the cafe.“I feel like a lot of people will be going there to get food and then staying to do homework, kind of like Me and Ollie’s is now,” lower Mel Duenas said. “It could ruin the library as a study place because so many people will be using it to socialize.”Several students have highlighted this issue and other possible negative repercussions. The distraction posed to students and the chaos caused by food have led some to think that the cafe offers benefits to only certain students.“I understand the library's initial concerns about food; it's messy and hard to clean up, and we as students often forget to take responsibility,” upper Stephanie Pan said. “I suppose this arrangement will mostly disrupt people who favor the periodicals room as their study spot, but I suppose between now and December we can find a solution to that. I think there's potential for students to be tempted by food, but in due time the novelty of food in the library will wear off and kids will go back to business as usual.”