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Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

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Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#21

Post by tptacek »

Gormo wrote: post #16
Roritharr wrote: post #2

Well, actually i did work at the library, but i changed for one reason to my local coffeeplace: taking and making calls. Thats the one reason i've left the library. I tried a starbucks for working but he is right, the tables are not big enough etc, so i actually went to a local coffeeshop and talked to the owner about me liking to work at his place. I made a deal with him, i did all the quick-wins of online advertise…

I wonder if there's a market for a coffee shop that has small, private office spaces available, perhaps available for free or for an hourly rent. These might be the size of a typical restaurant booth (or a bit larger), but would be enclosed spaces that allow you to block out noise and distractions. It wouldn't even need to be a coffee shop; maybe something like a capsule hotel for workspaces.

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.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#24

Post by tptacek »

cowmixtoo wrote: post #9

Unfortunately, I echo many of the reservations of working at my local public library: can't make calls, horrible hours of operation, etc. I'll add one more thing: horrible network filtering.

Where do you people live? Our libraries open early in the morning and close at 9PM.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#25

Post by rbanffy »

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…

A couple years back, I decided to pay a visit to the campus library during the FISL (international free-software forum) that happens every year in Porto Alegre, Brazil on the PUC (pontifical catholic university) campus. I needed to grab some articles from CACM and their library has full access to the ACM online library, as well as decent wireless, something no tech event quite manages to have.

Porto Alegre is notorious for having a disproportionate number of cute girls. I was on the Engineering floor and, even there, I got distracted several times by them.

So, no, it's not every library that's cute-girl-free.

Unfortunately, they don't serve coffee.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#26

Post by Tycho »

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.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#27

Post by wildmXranat »

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.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#28

Post by beagledude »

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've worked at the library quite a few times until I found a co-working space.

+1 on the distraction comment.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#29

Post by edw519 »

Maybe we're lucky in Pittsburgh, but we have the best of both worlds at the main branch of the Carnegie Library. You can take a tour of where I work 2 or 3 days per week:

http://www.clpgh.org/locations/main/tours/virtualtour/

It's fantastic. It was built by Andrew Carnegie in 1895 and most of it is original. I get inspiration from the 20 foot ceilings and hand made ornamentation everywhere you look. They simply don't build things like this any more. There are quiet reading rooms, large tables, plenty of light, and oh yeah, a Crazy Mocha coffee shop in the building. I use a cell phone dongle on my laptop and most people know that email is my preferred communication method.

If I need a break, I can look at priceless artifacts in the Carnegie museum through the windows in the open stacks. Or just get the world's most disgusting hot dog at the "O" a block away. If I need inspiration, that'll either make me or break me.

One of these days, I'd like to make the claim that some incredible technology of the 21st century was conceived in an edifice borne out of the some of the best technology of the 19th century.

"My aspirations take a higher flight. Mine be it to have contributed to the enlightenment and the joys of the mind, to the things of the spirit, to all that tends to bring into the lives of the toilers of Pittsburgh sweetness and light. I hold this the noblest possible use of wealth." - Andrew Carnegie at the Dedication of Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, November 5, 1895.

Re: Ditch Starbucks and work at the library

#30

Post by mberning »

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 completely pissed off that my tax dollars go to support that.
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