Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Florida Atlantic University's first student-run news source.

UNIVERSITY PRESS

Hardcover or paperback? Powdered or glazed?

Students visiting the Boca campus library have got a new sweet study buddy: Dunkin’ Donuts. In the beginning of August, the eatery opened its doors right inside of the library, and so far most have welcomed the establishment.

In fact, many library patrons find the restaurant beneficial, rather than detrimental, to their learning environment.
“In order to focus, you need the energy,” says sophomore Alex Granito.

And so far, a lot of students have been putting their doughnut-fueled sugar rushes and coffee jolts to good use.
“It’s just a lot easier to study when you’ve got some food in your belly,” says junior Andrew Paris. “And the Dunkin’ Donuts makes it a lot easier to get that food.”

The Dunkin’ Donuts, located by the  lobby, doesn’t upset the atmosphere of the library. The only issue students have with the eatery is simply the food selection.
“I would’ve preferred a store that offers healthier options, so even when you need that midday pick-me-up it wouldn’t cost you half of your day’s calories,” says Gabi Aleksinko.

Despite the high-calorie menu, hungry students still take refuge in the new hangout.
“The Dunkin’ Donuts is amazing, because it gives you the luxury of air conditioning, coffee and doughnuts in the learning environment. There’s nothing better,” says Paris.

The food spot isn’t just a sweet place for students; it’s an expansion of the Boca campus’s restaurant repertoire.
“The new Dunkin’ Donuts is great because unlike Starbucks or Einstein’s, it’s affordable,” says sophomore Kandice Allen.

Dunkin’ Donuts is receiving such a friendly welcome because it’s simply convenient.
“The location’s as close to the front door as we could reasonably place it so that people can find it, use it, and then leave the library if they prefer,” explains William Miller, FAU’s dean of libraries.

Miller says that it’s really too early to determine the effects of the new addition. He assumes it will be very beneficial to students, much like the cafes in Barnes & Noble.

The doughnut shop, in its strategic position, doesn’t disrupt the library environment. Located by the entrance lobby, an already busy area, it has its own glass window and door to separate it from the lobby. Because of this, students aren’t sniffing the aroma of freshly baked goods unless they pull open the glass door and walk in.

The eatery faces the librarian’s desk in the lobby, and library employees can easily read the menu right from their station. Even with the photos of glazed doughnuts and iced coffee as their main field of vision, they don’t find it distracting.

Librarians, like Jerrel Horn, have the same focus and productivity they would if the Dunkin’ Donuts weren’t there.
“It hasn’t changed the environment because the library’s been allowing food and drinks for a long time, so this is nothing different,” Horn says.

Crystal Knapp, a Dunkin’ Donuts employee, doesn’t see the restaurant differently because of its location. She feels that there’s no huge variation between a doughnut shop in a library and one in a shopping mall. The only difference, she says, is the “interesting variety of unique people.”

In an effort to keep up with the new hungry generation of students, the Dunkin’ Donuts was built.
“We’ve wanted a food venue in the library for many years,” Miller says.

The desire was present, but the finances weren’t until the library was “approached not too long ago by the Business Services area of the university with the idea of a Dunkin’ Donuts,” Miller explains.
“We were very happy to make space for this facility, especially because the library didn’t have to pay for its construction,” he adds.

The addition of a Dunkin’ Donuts to the Boca campus library has been a sweet success — or at least a development that hasn’t brought on the apocalypse.
“We’ve had people bringing food and drinks in the library for years now, as in most other academic libraries, and the sky hasn’t fallen down,” says Miller.

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