Cafe adds flavor to Merrill Library
The Merrill Library café will open this month.
Linda Wolcott, vice provost for libraries and instructional support, said the library will soon be more like home.
The new café will enable students to sit down, relax and have a snack while studying.
“Students spend a lot of time in the library – or at least they should,” she said.
Until now, there has been no access to on-campus food services for those spending nights and weekends glued to their books.
“The café will increase usage of the library – bring more people into the building,” Wolcott said.
For a building open more than any other on campus – 106 hours a week – this project seems natural, she said.
The early vision and design for a café was formulated by Kathy Schockmel and Vicki Read of library services.
The library teamed up with Housing and Food Services to create the new Quad Side Café, which will sell sandwiches, salads, fruit, bagels, pastries, drinks and more to those trafficking through.
The food will be prepared by Housing and Food Services in a different part of campus.
Steve Jenson, director of Housing and Food Services, said the café is convenient.
“In that part of campus, there haven’t been places to get meals,” he said.
Students will be able to incorporate the café into their pre-paid, campus meal plans.
Jenson called the undertaking a “prototype of things to come.”
Similar, new food services should start popping up around campus with the construction of new facilities, like the engineering building, he said.
Wolcott acknowledged that the Merrill Library will be one of those buildings to be replaced.
“We are in the planning stages for a new library,” she said.
Although the library, along with its new café, could be torn down within the next five years, decision-makers see the venture as an investment.
It is projected that within four years, the café will be making money, Wolcott said. Plus, the furniture, refrigerators, cabinetry and other accommodations will be recycled and used in the new library.
Alan Andersen, assistant director of Housing and Food Services, referred to the investment as a “test market.”
“If this works out well, we’ll design it even better in the new library,” he said.
Wolcott said it is important for students to know their fees were not used to create the café. The $60,000 to $70,000 in funding was accrued from library savings over past years. The money has no relation to recent budget cuts.
Profits will go toward buying more books and supplies, and keeping the library open longer.
The Merrill Library is possibly the only university in Utah with a café.
“I’m nuts about it,” Wolcott said. “I can’t wait for it to open.”
For student convenience, there will be Internet terminals connected to the space, making it a “cyber café.”
“We’re capitalizing on the library as a gathering place, not only for doing research, but for socializing,” she said.
There will be policy on where in the building food can be taken to prevent the café atmosphere from extending too far beyond its room, but Wolcott said she’s not too worried about students abusing their privileges.
“Students on this campus treat the buildings very well,” she said. “We’re not going to be the food police. They’re adults.”
The Quad Side Café will have seating outside for those who want to enjoy the weather.
The café should open doors for the Merrill Library to host programs, lectures, poetry readings and other activities, Wolcott said.
“It adds a nice flavor – no pun intended – to campus life,” she said.
It will serve not only students, but the community as well. The library is working in conjunction with the Cache Employment Training Center to employ people with disabilities for cleaning and maintenance.
The café will be finished in two to three weeks. Its grand opening will be in October.
Jenson said, “We’re looking forward to input from students. We hope they’ll come in and try us out.”
-amarie@cc.usu.edu