The Best Part of Studying

Story by Hemi Ahluwalia

Pages turning, the tapping of computer keys and the crumpling of notebook paper: These sounds have come from different areas within the Mary Couts Burnett Library for years.

But now there is a new sound inside the library. The sounds of coffee percolating, the steaming of milk and the voices of everyday conversation fill the air in the foyer of the library.

The Bistro Burnett is the latest addition to the library. Added in the fall of 2000, the bistro has been serving hundreds of students a day, said William Gomez, a bistro employee.

“I have been working here since September, and I have seen the same people come back three or four times a night for coffee,” Gomez said.

The bistro was made possible by the Trinkle family in honor of their late brother and son, Kent Trinkle. Trinkle died in 1976, when he was a senior at TCU.

“We said that we wanted to do something in his name,” said Allison Trinkle, assistant to the director of the honors program and Kent’s sister.

She said the library has always had a special place in her family.

“I worked at the library when I attended TCU, and so did my mother when she was here,” Allison Trinkle said.

Although the Trinkle family provided most of the money for the coffee shop, Allison Trinkle said it was library director Bob Seal’s idea.

“We told him we wanted to do something that would make the library a more fun and friendly environment,” Allison Trinkle said. “I think Bob’s idea for the coffee shop was great because it would be a place people would like to hang out.”

“The idea came to me in a couple of ways,” Seal said. “When I would go to Barnes and Noble’s and see how the crowds would gather, I thought it was a good idea. I asked myself, ‘why can’t libraries be more like bookstores?’”

Upon entering the library, students can sit at one of five garden-style tables in the library foyer. While sipping their coffee, students can also listen to classical music which plays through the speakers.

Many times students can be found studying or even taking a quick nap in the relaxing atmosphere now present in the library. A skylight in the foyer and multiple natural plants help give the feeling of sitting outside.

Tim Cox/SKIFF STAFF Linda Cook, a Marriott employee, makes a cup of coffee Tuesday in the Bistro Burnett.

Besides coffee, the bistro also offers items such as bottled water, orange juice, milk, Nutra Grain bars and biscotti, Gomez said.

The bistro also offers the traditional Starbucks brand coffee, along with caffe lattes and mochas. Gomez said a frozen frappucino maker was added a few months ago to offer more options to students.

“The coffee is really good, and we hope that we sell more of it this summer,” Gomez said.

Some students have visited the bistro many times during the semester.

Jessica Oldwyn, a junior geology major, said she comes to the bistro whenever she is in the library.

“I come here at least two or three times a week,” she said.

However some students such as John Bain, a freshman political science major, don’t visit the bistro that often.

“This is my first time to come to the bistro,” he said. “But I will probably come back when I am in the library or need to stay awake.”

The bistro is run by Marriott, which also runs the food service in the Student Center.

Seal said the bistro has been a great success.

“It has been fantastic, and it’s exceeded Marriott’s and my expectations,” Seal said. “Now we have to figure out what to do next.”

The bistro is open during regular library hours and will be open all summer, said Gomez.