The Evolution of our Library Cafe

2019-2022- starting out, stopping for Covid, and starting again

Equipment: 

• (2) 45-cup coffee urns 

• Bulk Coffee (started with donations from a local coffee place; switched to Folgers Classic Roast)

• Bulk Swiss Miss hot cocoa

• ¼ cup measuring scoop (for hot cocoa)

• Assorted tea bags, packaged individually (recommend surveying your population for tea flavors)

• 10 oz paper hot cups with lids & sleeves (recommend buying sets so your cups and lids always match)

• Individual coffee creamers 

• Classic, French Vanilla, and occasional seasonal flavors

• Individual sweetener packets

• Sugar and Stevia have been most popular in our building

• Stirrer sticks

• Napkins

• Cash box & coin wrappers

• Hand sanitizer

• Lysol wipes

Logistics:

• available for students before school only; available for staff throughout the day

• our library is open for 40 minutes before the school day begins

• located at the Circ desk

• benefits: allows for library staff oversight & "water cooler" chat with staff

• handled by library staff (1 FT librarian & 2 FT library assistants)

• one staff member rinses urns & resets everything at the end of the day

• urns are plugged into a power strip, so the first one in each morning just has to turn on a power strip

Pricing, etc:

• $1.00 per cup (hot)

• easy to remember, easy to make change

• Cash only
  Funds deposited regularly to an ECA account associated with our Library Club

• money used to replenish makerspace supplies, purchase props for library escape rooms, and to provide prizes for reading challenges

• Pre-paid punch cards available for staff

• up to $20; library staff keeps the cards and marks them off as credits are used

• Reusable mug reward cards available for staff

• library staff keeps the cards and marks them off

• after 5 uses of a reusable mug, staff earns a card redeemable for a free beverage

• free bev. cards can be used by the staff member or given to a student as an incentive

• library staff use free bev. cards as prizes for reading challenges, etc.

• All cards were designed by me and printed on different colored index cards by our in-house printer, but you could easily print them on cardstock and cut them. Just make sure there's something distinct enough about them to discourage counterfeits!

2023- added iced coffee & student volunteers

We were so busy in the morning with library & IT-related responsibilities that we decided to turn the cafe over to some student volunteers. Everything was still set up next to our Circ desk so we could oversee operations, but we rearranged some tables so our volunteers were not inside the Circ desk with us. Our volunteers earn service hours.

Then in the spring we wanted to try selling iced coffee with minimal investment to see how our students responded. They LOVED it. Here's how we approached it.

Additional equipment:

• 2 ice cube trays (I'm not linking the ones we started with because they were terrible silicon hexagon trays that were very cheap and took forever to freeze)

• we borrowed freezer space from a faculty break room freezer and replenished ice every day

• a large plastic bowl that we already had 

• we stored excess ice cubes in gallon ziploc bags that sat in this bowl

• (2) empty gallon water jugs

• an ice scoop

• 12 oz plastic cold cups with sipper lids

• we opted for sipper lids rather than straws to help reduce the amount of plastic we were using

• Torani flavored syrups: French Vanilla and Caramel

• French Vanilla Concentrated Creamer

• Measuring cups

• Funnel

Logistics: 

• Make bulk batches of iced coffee concentrate 2-3 times a week (depending on demand)

• this gets poured over a full 12oz cup of ice

• recipes linked; try and adjust to your taste- we had several student taste-testers

• Store unused iced coffee in refrigerator; discard after 3 days

Pricing, etc.: 

• $1.00 for hot drinks

• $2.00 for iced coffee

• All staff cards still in operation

• Free beverage cards can be exchanged for a hot or iced drink

Fall 2023- changed location & staffing

With the addition of iced coffee in the spring of 2023, we had too many students crowded at the Circ desk to manage successfully, so we borrowed some furniture for other places and created a Cafe nook that was still close enough to keep an eye on. Our student volunteers run the mornings entirely, and library staff continues to provide the behind-the-scenes support.

Additional / Updated Equipment:

• 1 mini fridge with freezer 

• 2 ice cube trays & stacking ice cube bins 

• (4) 2-qt mason jars with pouring lids

• different color lids to distinguish between flavors

Notes and other thoughts:

We started with the coffee urns, bulk coffee, and bulk hot cocoa rather than K-cups because we wanted reduce the amount of waste generated in the library. It has meant more oversight in the process–our volunteers have to scoop the hot cocoa and fill the water rather than just letting a student grab a K-cup, for instance–but it meant a lower starting cost. And now when we need to make our iced coffee, we just make a larger amount in the urn and let it cool rather than requiring an additional coffee pot or using a ton of K-cups. 

We have done additional fundraisers with knit and crocheted coffee cozies ($2.00) to some success. 

It has been over a semester since we moved the cafe away from the Circ desk. I love that our students have largely taken ownership of the morning operations, but I do miss those opportunities to chat with colleagues while they fill their coffee cups.