The Yale College Council will launch a student survey on University proposals to create a coffee shop in Cross Campus Library as part of the library’s upcoming renovation.
The survey — due to be released immediately after the Thanksgiving break — will ask students 10 questions, ranging from the type of shop they would like to see in CCL to their coffee habits and preferences. The University has committed to replace Machine City with a small lounge in the renovated library and is considering a wide range of choices that include low-scale butteries and national brands such as Starbucks, Associate University Librarian Danuta Nitecki said.
“We are exploring options about the types of coffee services that might be offered from this library, and several have suggested the national retailer, with its associated recognition, might be a popular draw,” she said. “Others may hold different reactions, and hence the question.”
Yale President Richard Levin said a CCL cafe has been a priority for the University since renovations plans were first initiated.
“From the beginning the notion that Machine City should be replaced by a nice cafe was always high on the list of desirable features,” Levin said.
Nitecki said she hopes the survey will allow University officials to gauge student opinion on different aspects of the renovation project, including the proposed cafe.
YCC President Steven Syverud ’06 said the survey was designed by University officials in conjunction with the YCC. He said he thinks students should have significant input in deciding how the new area will be used.
“The renovations to CCL are going to [be an] important part of student life [and they] are also going to be in place for a long time after this,” Syverud said in an e-mail. “We want to make sure that students weigh in with their thoughts.”
Students reacted favorably to the proposed addition.
“I think it would be very convenient for students, because there isn’t really a coffee shop around that is easy for students to access,” Meijin Bruttomesso ’08 said.
But Alexandra Marraccini ’09 said she likes the idea, but thinks the aesthetic renovation of CCL is equally important.
“I think the idea of a coffee shop would be lovely,” she said. “However, it is lovely if and only if CCL becomes an appropriate place for drinking coffee — that is, if it doesn’t resemble a dungeon.”
Heather Heldman ’08 said she thinks a large corporation would draw many students to the library’s future lounge.
“I think it would be a great idea, but it would have to be an operation or a coffee shop that could compete with Starbucks or Koffee Too? in terms of quality and variety of offerings,” she said.
Nitecki said that the CCL renovation plans are almost complete and that the University will finalize in the upcoming months how it will furnish the lounge and what type of cafe the lounge will feature. The renovations will begin this summer and are slated for completion by August 2007.