NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 22 number 1 - Fall 2001

By Michael Hyman, North Carolina State Department of Microbiology

Anyone who has ever pulled an all-nighter in the library and needed a "pick-me-up" at midnight or just wanted a good cup of coffee on campus without having to dodge traffic on Hillsborough Street will find a welcome new addition to library services at the NCSU Libraries. Thanks to funding provided by the NC State Parents and Families Association, the new Hill of Beans coffee bar will open soon inside the Brickyard entrance to the D. H. Hill Library.

The Hill of Beans will offer a wide variety of drinks and food items during normal library operating hours. Beverages will include premium coffees, lattes, and espressos, in addition to selected teas, soft drinks, bottled waters, Italian sodas, and juices. Daily food items will include fresh pastries, muffins, bagels, cookies, fruit, and, potentially, a small selection of deli sandwiches. The aim is to make the Hill of Beans not only a student "refueling" point, but also a central meeting place where all members of the university community can meet to relax without having to leave the campus.

Student members of the University Library Committee originally voiced the need for a full- service coffee bar on campus. This idea struck a chord with the Parents and Families Association, who were concerned about students needing to leave campus during the night to get coffee and food. The association agreed to fund the project, and the task of developing plans for the Hill of Beans fell to an advisory committee led by June Brotherton, an associate director with the NCSU Libraries. Other members of the committee are undergraduates Renee Lamb and Garrett Bugg, graduate students Pam Beall and Derek Brown, Parents Association representative Jennifer Bell, microbiology faculty member Michael Hyman, and library administrators Carolyn Argentati, Susan Barnard, and Kathy Brown.

Over a period of several months, the committee studied traffic patterns in the library and obtained further input through student questionnaires on what the Hill of Beans should offer. The committee developed a proposal in cooperation with University Dining, which will operate the coffee bar. After examining several coffee franchises, the committee selected Seattle's Best as the coffee brand of the Hill of Beans. The committee was particularly impressed by the flexibility of the branding agreement, the commitment of the company to quality control, the ambience of the shop design, and above all, the taste of Seattle's Best coffees.

The Hill of Beans will begin operation during the spring 2002 semester. Initially, hours of operation will be close to the twenty-four-hour schedule of the Libraries, but the schedule will be refined based on the level of user demand. The Libraries hopes that faculty, students, and staff will visit the Hill of Beans and come to regard it as their favorite place to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee on campus.