A Bookish Brew

Written By Lori Thiessen

Libraries have almost always been a “third space” in our communities. A “third space” is a moniker coined by Ray Oldenberg in 1999 that is a place which is not home or work. Coffee shops more of a hybrid third space, being used for socializing and work. For us java commuters, where would we be without coffee shops to escape the isolation of home and the necessity of making our own coffee?

Well, now libraries want to join the fray by serving up coffee. That’s right. You heard me. Some libraries in Australia, New Zealand and in San Jose, California have warmed up to the idea that coffee and books could mix. In an article by Cathryn Harris (“Libraries with Lattes: A New Third Space”), she writes about the social capital of a library. Increasingly, libraries are competing with bookstores that have cafes in them so that people will go to the local Starbucks at the Borders Bookstore rather than wander in and spend time in their local library.

“If you have good coffee, they will come”, seems to be the new mantra of visionary library administration. I know that the Vancouver Public Library (Main Branch) in downtown Vancouver, hosts a Blenz Coffee shop in the rotunda of the building along with several other retail shops. Now, I would hesitate bringing a coffee into the actual library space, but I can check out my book, drift over the Blenz and order an Iced coffee while browsing over my newly borrowed reading material.

As it is, I do see people (myself included) working away at laptops or at the public computers in the library. It is a great place to be if you need reference materials that don’t happen to be online. Mind you, that rarely happens anymore, but just in case, you’ll be right there to ask a friendly librarian. If it’s quiet you’re after, then the library seems like a no brainer. Although there is the Waves Coffee Shop on Commercial Drive which was a quiet as the grave.

The upshot is that we could be seeing disposable coffee cups adorning the study areas, in the bookstacks, and on the checkout counter at your local library. So don’t fret that Starbucks has closed 600 shops, your local library could be there to serve you … coffee.

Q: What do you think of libraries serving coffee?

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll save your seat until next time.

 

I’d like copies with my coffee, please

Written by Lori Thiessen

As a java commuter, you are armed with your laptop which lets you roam, but what if you have to print something out while you are roaming?

There are wireless printers and servers out there so you don’t have to fiddle with finding a console which is hooked to a printer then insert your thumb drive, …blah, blah, blah. Personally, I haven’t tried a wireless printer but there are times when it would be great to have one available. I understand from more techie-types that you need to configure your laptop for printer sharing, or network sharing.

From some online tech conversations about wireless printing I ‘ve read, trying to configure your laptop to use wireless printing can range anywhere from dead easy to tearing-your-hair-out difficult. But then that’s generally been my experience with computers.

Ideally, your local coffee shop office would have a wireless printer for you to use. It would be fab to be able to print out that proposal for your client rather than shoving your laptop across the table for him/her to read it off your screen, especially if you’re a wee bit too close to the appointment time to run to a print shop with your thumb drive. Of course, being a well-organized independent consultant you’d never run into a situation like this, would you? Oh no. Never.

For the coffee shop owner, it might be a dandy little second income stream. Charge, say, $0.25 cents a page. Refill the paper tray when the coffee condiments table needs refilling.

The second option is for you to lug around your own wireless printer. This might mean that you have to get an extra large wheelie to bring it with you or leave your printer in your car. But for the intrepid and resourceful java commuter no obstacle is too great.

Actually, it might be a great little source of income for an intrepid and resourceful java commuter to let people use your wireless printer for a price. Charge what you like, you’d have ’em by the gigabytes.

Q: Would you frequent a coffee shop more often if it had a printer available for you to use?

Thanks for stopping by and I’ll save your seat until next time.

 

A New Trend or a Recycled Idea?

Since 1991, the number of people working from coffee shops has increased seven-fold (Economist 6/4/2003). Today’s workforce is becoming more mobile or at least more people are opting to work part of the time from their local coffee shop. Sounds like a hip new trend, right?

Well, not quite. Coffeehouses were a fixture of 18^th century England, and within those badly built establishments people were doing all kinds of things: discussing scientific concepts, founding new businesses, starting what would later be known as the Fifth Estate or journalism, selling books and art, discussing politics, and even holding musical recitals. The activities within these establishments were as numerous as the number of coffeehouses operating in London in 1734 which was 551 legally licensed ones, in case you were wondering. Each coffeehouse played host to a particular niche or industry. If you wanted to find out about insuring cargo on a ship bound from India or China, you popped over to Edward Lloyd’s Coffeehouse down by the docks and talked to the men drinking coffee there. Edwards Lloyd’s Coffeehouse eventually became Lloyd’s of London, one of the biggest insurance companies in the world.

Closer to our time, coffee houses were the breeding ground for many Silicon Valley start-ups.

The coffee shop as office alternative is not really a new idea but an old idea that has been recycled for the new millennium.

Q: Which businesses do you think are best suited for using coffee houses as alternative offices and why?

Thanks for dropping by and come again soon for another virtual cup and conversation!

Lori Thiessen

 

Welcome to the Coffee Shop Office

Welcome to Coffee Shop Office, your local webspace coffeehouse! Pull up a chair, sit down and have a cup of virtual coffee. Let’s talk about working on the rim – the rim of a coffee mug that is.

So hands up how many of you are reading this on your laptop while you are sitting in a coffee shop or café? Okay. Put your hands down because you look silly and the barista will think you want a refill.

Did you have a chance to look around and see others working away on their laptops too, or reading/writing or having a business meeting or drawing something? Yeah, Gregg Taylor did too. At his local coffee shop over a large mug of java, he thought there is a trend happening here.

So Gregg enlisted the help of Lori Thiessen  and Aaron Cruikshank to help him to uncover why people like you and us high tail it to a coffee house to get our work done.

There is a website in process and we will let you know when we are up and running.

We want to hear about your experience working out of a coffee shop in your own words too so feel free to send us a short anecdote at coffeeshopoffice@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for dropping by and I’ll save your seat for you!

Lori Thiessen

Blogger