BY OWEN MORRIS
I’m one of those people who say they love the library but almost never go. Part of the reason I don’t go that often is because libraries don't seem as inviting as say, a Barnes and Noble. At the library you can’t just grab a coffee from the cafe and then find a nook to read for hours.
At least not at the Johnson Country libraries I belonged to or at any of Wyandotte’s libraries. But things are different on the Missouri side. Both the Plaza Branch and the Downtown branch of KCMO’s libraries have cafes. Feeling the need to catch up on some reading, I paid a visit to see how integrated the coffee shops are to the library.
At the new shiny Plaza branch, the cafe is called Barista's Daily Grind. It's actually more of a stand with chairs, right outside the library entrance.
Sarah Lombardo was the barista on hand. She’s not paid by the library nor is Barista's associated with the library -- library visitors don't even make up a majority of the stand’s business. “It’s mostly people going into the law office," Lombardo said, pointing to the doors next to the library entrance. But the library's happy to have the stand there, even advertising it on the front page of its Web site.
The coffee, roasted by Zoka out of Seattle, is good but nothing special. The espresso was hot and the French roast strong. The library does allow drinks inside (or at least is lax in enforcing any rules against it) and I brought my coffee with me on the search to find my book. After a couple of moments I found it and settled down on one of the many couches. Barnes and Noble be damned!
The only problem was that when my coffee got cold, getting a refill meant leaving the library and entering back into the public area. A big inconvenience if I had been working there all day.
At the Downtown branch, the coffee shop is enclosed within the library (though it's also run by an outside vendor).
Called Nine Muses, it certainly has more atmosphere than Baristas. Its espresso machine is a golden behemoth that spits out a very hot espresso; while the drip coffee is OK. It was late in the day when almost any coffee store's pots aren’t the freshest, so I’m not going to knock them.
As for the library itself: Like the Nine Muses espresso machine, it’s colossal, old and ornate. More than a library itself, you feel like you’re walking into a museum celebrating libraries. Fortunately, Nine Muses has its own space with its own atmosphere that’s more inviting if still a little stuffy.
For relaxing and pleasurable reading I’d choose the Plaza branch with a cappuccino. But if you have some serious reading to do, might as well do it in a serious place like the Downtown library with a serious beverage like several Americanos.
Either way, it beats the water faucets of Johnson and Wyandotte Countys libraries.
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Hello !!! ;)
I am Piter Kokoniz. Just want to tell, that I like your blog very much!
And want to ask you: will you continue to post in this blog in future?
Sorry for my bad english:)
Tnx!
Piter.
Hello!
Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!
PS: Sorry for my bad english, I'v just started to learn this language ;)
See you!
Your, Raiul Baztepo
I visit KC regularly for business and never bothered with the library for the same reason--book stores are just so easy to enjoy. :)
But, I suppose there's something nostalgic about the library. I'll stop by next time I'm in town.
Scott
http://www.makingespresso.com
Ahh, the food and drink debate has been going on in Libraryland for a long time. For a few old sticklers, it's a matter of supposed cleanliness and concern for materials. For most, it's simply a matter of money and space. Getting even a modest food & beverage service built and up to code takes dollars.
All that aside, the coffee at Nine Muses is never all that good. And don't even bother trying to ask for an espresso drink. Hardly anyone there knows how to use that thing. Nice space though.
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