As early as the beginning of next semester, College Library will be the host of a new coffeehouse as part of a nationwide trend to put caf??s in college buildings.
The area, located on the first floor in room 1250, also known as the reading room of the library, will be a casual study section including a counter for ordering coffee, coffee specialty drinks, bakery items, juices and water, according to UW-Madison Deli Division manager Peter Behrandt.
According to Linda Balsiger, assistant director of College Library, the coffeehouse will include books, newspapers, comfortable chairs and a few computers.
\[The new area] is going to be kind of a blend. It's going to be kind of a coffeehouse. It's going to have a bit of a bookstore feel too, like a Borders,"" she said
Behrandt said he agreed that the idea for the new coffeehouse was modeled after the popular combination of bookstores and coffee shops.
""[The trend] came sort of from the bookstore phase, like Borders, where [bookstores] would have a caf?? attached to them. [The coffeehouse] is just an extension of that trend,"" he said.
After interest arose to put a coffeehouse in College Library, Ken Frazier, UW-Madison director of the general library system, and other College Library employees approached the Wisconsin Union Directorate to develop a plan for installation, according to Behrandt.
Contrary to one rumor, the coffeehouse will not serve Starbucks products. Instead, it will be a branch of the Wisconsin Union, supervised and staffed by the UW-Madison Deli Division, Behrandt said.
Balsiger said she thinks the coffeehouse will be popular among UW-Madison students.
""I'm excited about [the coffeehouse]. I think it will be another good place for students to work and socialize,"" Kristen Titus, a UW-Madison freshman, said.
The coffeehouse may open at the beginning of next semester, but construction details have yet to be finalized, according to Behrandt.
Balsiger said construction includes redesigning the interior of the room, but no additions to the library will be necessary for the insertion of the coffeehouse.
""We just don't know when the construction we have to do is going to occur yet. We will know hopefully shortly,"" she said.
According to Balsiger, the new coffeehouse will not replace currently existing vending machines, but will offer an alternative to them.
As of now, there are no plans to build additional coffeehouses in any of the other UW-Madison libraries.
Upon its opening, the coffeehouse hours will be from noon until the library's daily closing.
