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By Scott Aust, Journal Staff Writer
RAPID CITY -- Cafficionados — those who enjoy a good ‘cup-a-joe' — might soon be able to enjoy their favorite beverage while perusing the stacks at the Rapid City Public Library. Greta Chapman, library director, said the library's board is seeking proposals from local vendors to operate a coffee bar in the library. "It's part of our strategic plan," Chapman said. "That was feedback that we got when we did our strategic plan a year ago. One of the things they wanted was the convenience and the hospitality of a coffee bar." The library received more than 900 replies from library users and nonusers to strategic planning surveys conducted last year, Chapman said, and many cited a desire for the library to offer coffee. "This will be, obviously, a new venture, though it's fairly common practice in a lot of libraries, though not all," Chapman said. Similar in appearance to a street corner hot dog stand, the library's coffee cart won't require a lot of space. "Coffee carts are pretty mobile. There's one I'm thinking it might be like out at the airport. A real mobile, small, compact, (cart) that isn't going to need very much at all as far as support to it," she said. Chapman said feedback from the surveys indicated people wanted coffee and maybe juice, but there wasn't an emphasis on offering food. "I think the board's approach is to make it a convenience service. I don't see them branching out at this particular time to a full blown menu," Chapman said. "I think we're looking for mobile, compact and convenient." Allowing beverages in the library will be nothing new. Chapman said the board's policy has allowed food and drink in the building for nearly three years. "We have found that to be very convenient, especially for people who are on their lunch hours," she said. "We've had less of a problem than when we had a policy that said they couldn't have it. Trust the public to do the right things and they do. It's worked real well." The library board is accepting proposals from vendors through July 22. Chapman anticipates that the board will look at the proposals at the end of July and make a decision in August. The service could be up and running soon after. "We do a large marketing promotion in September called Welcome Back to School, and I think that may be one of the things we incorporate into that welcome back," she said. Chapman said the hours of operation for the cart have yet to be decided but will be based on demand. "We're going to kind of play that by ear based on what the public wants," she said. "I'm thinking there's probably some pretty obvious things like in the morning and over the noon hour and in the early evening. So, we're just going to kind of test and see what goes on." Coffee service has become commonplace in bookstores and is starting to be offered at other libraries, according to Chapman. "The thing we believe in and foster is the more, the better. Bookstores are good for us, libraries are good for bookstores," she said. "It is another venture for us, and it comes from what the public has been talking to us about."