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Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

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Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#51

Post by dlevine »

I've tried working in the library on a number of occasions. The one bad thing I've discovered is that the WIFI sucks at pretty much every public library I've worked at. And I think that's a sample size of 4 or 5 libraries. I live almost right next to the main branch of the San Francisco Public Library, and every time I've gone there to work, I've left after a while because the Internet was too slow or didn't work quite right.

So if I want to get any coding done, and need access to the Internet, I have found the library to be a pretty bad place. If I'm just doing some quiet reading, the library can be great.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#53

Post by Luc »

psb wrote: post #18

My bank has a little lobby with a coffee machine where I and a couple others hang out and work. I like to stand up while I work and they have a couple taller tables that work nicely for me.

Are they happy with this, or have they just not noticed? I'd feel bad about using another business's resources unless they explicitly allow it.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#54

Post by dhyasama »

wildmXranat wrote: post #27
dhyasama wrote: post #17

I work out the Columbia University libraries, although I'm not a student. For $500/year you can become a Friend of the Libraries and have access to all the libraries. It's a bargain if you consider how much you would spend at a coffee shop. Also, like the article says, fewer distractions and much more space.

Yes, this is a great idea. I paid a much smaller fee of $60 to have access to Mississauga libraries as an out of the city resident. My biggest question is : does the fee include access to library wifi, but at $500, it's still rather steep.

It does include wifi as well as reading privileges, but not lending.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#55

Post by dhyasama »

Tycho wrote: post #26
dhyasama wrote: post #17

I work out the Columbia University libraries, although I'm not a student. For $500/year you can become a Friend of the Libraries and have access to all the libraries. It's a bargain if you consider how much you would spend at a coffee shop. Also, like the article says, fewer distractions and much more space.

Gosh... I guess i'm pretty lucky to live near my former Uni which only charges £40 yearly for former students. There's also a nice local council one nearby with free wifi, free membership for taxpayers. Another advantage is all the money you can save on heating bills. Starbucks is outrageously expensive though - some cafés are much cheaper, and nicer.

I grew up in Maine and went to UMaine. The library there is open to the public. I'm in New York now and due to city budget cuts most public library branches don't open until 11AM which doesn't work for my schedule. Columbia is within walking distance of my apartment and $42/month is a screaming bargain since I'm so much more productive there than at a cafe.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#56

Post by neild »

I like the distractions of a good coffee shop. I like being someplace with music playing and people wandering through. It provides engagement for the parts of my brain I don't use when working.

My favorite coffee shops are loud enough that I'm not distracted by other people's conversations. Either the music is loud enough to drown them out, or enough people are talking at once that it all blends into a meaningless susurration. A place which is too quiet--like most libraries, actually--amplifies distractions.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#57

Post by JacobAldridge »

mberning wrote: post #30
alexophile wrote: post #6

In my (biased, but well-founded) experience, it comes down to a question of whether I'd rather be distracted by a cute girl or an old man getting reprimanded for looking at dirty pictures. [bg: I really like libraries - worked at one in the suburbs in high school and have since moved to the city, which exaggerated the weird bits] One thing that's worth noting: if you're on a college campus, a great place to find some…

I came here to post this very thing. When I was working downtown I decided to go to the library during my lunch break. To my surprise there was almost nobody in the library actually reading. However, there were people on every single computer workstation. Glancing over the screens I could see a variety of pornographic images, facebook and myspace pages, and youtube. The library is a great resource, but I was complete…

"but I was completely pissed off that my tax dollars go to support that."

People who can't afford a few hundred dollars for their own computer and the monthly bill for internet access? If you're looking at porn in the library, it's because you can't do it anywhere else, not because you're abusing tax dollars.

Would I like the poor, the disadvantaged, the isolated to be using the library resources my taxes pay for to advance their lives? Hell yeah. Am I going to begrudge them - let alone get pissed off about - them using it to do the things I can do on my phone, on my way to the well-paying job? Hell no.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#58

Post by forgotAgain »

jeromec wrote: post #38
tptacek wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. A bunch of people tried that over the last couple years in Chicago; all of them went bust. There are too many viable alternatives to "rental cubby" to charge enough. And coffee shops of all forms are almost sure-fire money losers.

And coffee shops of all forms are almost sure-fire money losers. I'd never heard that before. Is Starbucks an exception? Does their volume make the difference?

It requires management as well. A nearby, locally owned, not a chain, shop went bust recently. There wasn't a professional manager there covering when the owner was absent. Things went downhill quickly.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#59

Post by tptacek »

neild wrote: post #49
tptacek wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. A bunch of people tried that over the last couple years in Chicago; all of them went bust. There are too many viable alternatives to "rental cubby" to charge enough. And coffee shops of all forms are almost sure-fire money losers.

Coffee shops are pretty much the opposite of sure-fire money losers. This article is a few years old, but: The failure rate for new coffeehouses is a mere 10 percent, according to the market research firm Mintel, which means the vast majority of cafes stay afloat no matter where Starbucks drops its stores. Compare that to the restaurant business, where failure is the norm. - http://www.slate.com/id/2180301/pagenum/al…

I see your Slate article quoting a market research report with another Slate article from someone who actually built a coffee shop, and raise you with a question and an observation.

First, the article: http://www.slate.com/id/2132576/

Second, the question: does that "10% failure rate" stat include Starbucks, Seattle's Best, Caribou, Peets, or Tully's? The rest of Mintel's stats do.

Finally, the observation: the margin on coffee beans doesn't determine the margin of a coffee house. Coffee beans aren't the dominant expense of a coffee house. Wages, followed by rent, are instead. You'll like that Slate article; it has math, and everything.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#60

Post by kensan »

mberning wrote: post #30
alexophile wrote: post #6

In my (biased, but well-founded) experience, it comes down to a question of whether I'd rather be distracted by a cute girl or an old man getting reprimanded for looking at dirty pictures. [bg: I really like libraries - worked at one in the suburbs in high school and have since moved to the city, which exaggerated the weird bits] One thing that's worth noting: if you're on a college campus, a great place to find some…

I came here to post this very thing. When I was working downtown I decided to go to the library during my lunch break. To my surprise there was almost nobody in the library actually reading. However, there were people on every single computer workstation. Glancing over the screens I could see a variety of pornographic images, facebook and myspace pages, and youtube. The library is a great resource, but I was complete…

`In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”` - The Great Gatsby
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