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County seeks coffee for new library Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Dave Kanner, Jackson County deputy administrator, hopes to find a good cup of joe for users of Medford�s new library. He�ll be among five staff members searching for the perfect vendor to run the library�s coffee shop. By Dani Dodge The coffee purveyor combining a premium plan with the best brew will run a java joint right inside the county�s new library headquarters. And county officials won�t leave taste to chance: Undercover administrators and librarians will quaff the cappuccinos before deciding who gets the county�s caffeine contract. The juice on the java What: Jackson County is seeking a specialty coffee vendor for its new Medford headquarters library. In addition to the usual selection of lattes, espressos and cappuccinos, the shop will also offer tea, sodas and stainless juices. When: The county�s request for proposals goes out Thursday. Those wishing to apply must fill out applications by Feb. 28. The coffee shop and library are scheduled to open September 2003. Why: The coffee shop is intended to enhance the library environment and maybe raise a little money for the library at the same time. Where: The 500-square-foot coffee shop will be located adjacent the main lobby of the library at Ninth Street and Central Avenue with entry doors to the lobby and to the street. For more information: contact Deputy County Administrator Dave Kanner at 774-6004. "If there�s someone with a knockout proposal, but they are serving watery coffee, then we want to know that because it would impact the coffee shop�s ability to succeed," said Dave Kanner, the deputy county administrator. "This building will be the nicest building in downtown Medford and we want someone in there that will complement that." Jackson County voters approved a $38.9 million library bond in May to expand and rebuild the county�s library system. The jewel on the county�s library crown is intended to be the new downtown library headquarters. Both the Medford and Rogue Community College libraries will locate in the new 78,000-square-foot building. And so will the new specialty coffee shop. County officials are asking for coffee shop proposals from coffee purveyors this month. They expect at least $775 a month in rent. And they want someone who already has a couple years in the business, a knowledgeable staff, and a luscious latte. The businesses with the top three proposals will get visits from five undercover librarians and county administrators. Among them are Meghan O�Flaherty, manager of the headquarters library, who says she prefers her coffee smooth, mellow and pungent. Kanner will also be secretly sipping. He likes his coffee bitter and strong, with honey. (Go figure.) Other tasters will bring their own preferences to the table. Kanner admits the undercover assessment of coffee will be subjective. But that�s why there are five people doing the drinking. And they won�t just be judging taste, but also atmosphere and staff. And even smell. "I�d like the shop to have a pleasant aroma from roasting beans," Kanner said. "I like that smell." The idea of pairing caffeine and books isn�t new. Starbucks outlets have been locating inside Barnes & Noble bookstores for years. The idea is becoming more and more popular with public libraries. Multnomah County�s main branch library in downtown Portland has had a Starbucks on its first floor since its 1997 renovation. There, the entire floor � where all the popular literature and tapes are kept � is open to coffee sippers and latte lappers. "It�s extremely popular with the public," Cindy Gibbon, the central library director said. "And no one has ever spilled coffee on the computers." The library is considering opening the entire library to coffee drinkers. "It just isn�t that much of a problem," Gibbon said. "People take the books home. They drink coffee at home. They take them in the bathtub and to the beach. This is really no different than what people do with our books all the time." Kanner said a library advisory committee will decide how far into the Medford library coffee cups can go � but, at first, they will probably be limited to an atrium area, meeting rooms and the coffee shop . Kanner hopes that business people will jump at the chance for a library coffee concession. Upwards of 3,000 people a day will be walking in and out of the headquarters. There�s bound to be more than a dollop of java junkies in the crowd. "We are doing this primarily to provide an amenity," Kanner said. "If we make a little money off it, great." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.