
Forget Starbucks, work at the library instead - henning
http://davecaolo.com/productivity/forget-starbucks-work-at-the-library/
======
tptacek
We ran our Chicago office from the Oak Park Public Library for something like
5-6 months. There was a credible coffee shop on the first floor, and the
library allowed drinks. Free wi-fi. Desks. For meetings, we could book private
study rooms for 1-2 hours on almost no notice.

The only real downside to the library was that you couldn't get on the phone
during the day without going outside.

The nicest thing about the library is that it works well exactly up to the
point where you need and can afford an office.

Unlike the coffee shops, which mostly lose out by being packed full of people
who buy one cup of coffee per hour, the library basically exists for the
purpose of providing a quiet space for knowledge work. You fund it with your
taxes. Library architecture in most metro areas is excellent. You should work
out of the library.

~~~
khafra
Innovative advice; do you know how the library staff felt about it? Did they
know?

Also, I read your last sentence as "You should work out in the library," and
imagined laying down under a cart full of large hardcover volumes, trying to
grunt very quietly while pressing it. Just sayin'.

~~~
tptacek
The library staff definitely knew about it. I felt bad originally for booking
private study rooms for work, and not "private study"; I was vigorously
assured that I shouldn't feel guilty for doing so.

Two things to realize:

(1) The library staff is a lot more nervous about the library being empty than
they are about it being full. Something about busy libraries being the reason
they get paid.

(2) If libraries have headache clientele, it's the homeless. I had no idea
what a mess that situation was until I started going to the library every day.

~~~
raghus
_The library staff is a lot more nervous about the library being empty than
they are about it being full._

This I can attest to.

At our local public library there's a lady who is _constantly_ picking up and
re-shelving kids books only to have some kids take a bunch out and toss most
of them on the table or the floor.

When I asked her if she wasn't frustrated, she said counter-intuitively that
she's actually happy to come in to the section and find a ton of books to re-
shelve.

------
jexe
If you're trying to get some work done in Manhattan, give up trying to find a
cafe with a seat, and hit the Rose Reading Room at the NYPL. Free wifi, lots
of outlets, and it's freakin dramatically gorgeous.

<http://www.nypl.org/research/chss/grd/rosemain.html>

~~~
mdakin
And if you're in Boston the BPL in Copley Square has a similarly beautiful and
useful room. And despite now living thousands of miles away I still see fit to
always carry my BPL card. It's been on me for over twenty years at this point
and features my childhood-era signature. Can't let go. :)

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/inzenity/2594029543/>

~~~
dgallagher
Thanks for that. I go to the BPL all the time and had no idea that room
existed! :0

My two complaints about Copley BPL is that they don't have nearly enough
outlets for laptops, and their WiFi can be spotty in places. Of course, maybe
Bates Hall will solve all those problems... ;)

They're good with the homeless too. Security guards walk all over that place
constantly and wake anyone up who's sleeping. The bathrooms though, arg,
across the street to Starbucks please. :)

~~~
mdakin
Welcome; hope it helps!

------
coolestuk
I tried my local library. It was impossible. The building so over-heated, that
even with snow on the ground and me wearing a thin cotton shirt, I thought I
was going to pass out. Then there were the "students" who spent their time
laughing loudly and chatting (even more loudly) on their mobile phones. When I
complained to the staff about this, they said it was policy to allow it (I
guess they are desperate to have bums on seats, and it is the students'
problem if they can't study because their peers are making so much noise.)

I then tried a public museum with a study centre, only to be told after a few
weeks that I couldn't plug my laptop into their mains supply! (I believe that
really they just wanted to get rid of me, since the rest of the study centre
was always empty, and it was clear that I was programming not studying their
collection.)

Finally, the best option of all is a museum that has a private members' room.
I'm often the only person there. Not only that, but there is a cafe in the
members room', and toilets just outside. And all for about $100 a year. I
don't think the Members Room has wifi, but that's not a problem for me. I
avoid microsoft whenever possible, but my Windows Mobile phone allows me to
share its internet connection (and the sharing works with os x, windows, and
linux).

When I want some relief from work, I go for a stroll round the museum. I love
libraries, but I find the visual stimulus of thousands of different artifacts
a fine contrast after staring at words on a screen for a couple of hours.

~~~
CalmQuiet
Is your library (or the governmental agency supporting it) unaffected by
budget crisis (asssuming it's unconcerned about energy conservation on general
principles)?

I'd probably find the proper channels to report such wasteful practices.

~~~
coolestuk
When I complained about the temperature in the library, the staff agreed, but
said there was nothing they could do about it, as the heating was broken.
However, I was there last week and even though it was warm outside, it felt
like the heating was still on. And this is in a new building hailed for its
innovative design.

I'm in continuing disputes about the local government's wastefulness, laziness
and lack of care. We had no drains outside our house for years, and it took
almost 4 years and 17 complaints to get it sorted - despite them having an
office that overlooked the street that flooded when it rained heavily!

They charge us about $1500 for additional services - principally cleaning the
area between the house and the street - which they spend no more than 20
minutes a week cleaning. I've taken to photographing the dirt and refuse, as
I'm refusing to pay for these poor quality and very costly services.

If everyone else refused to pay for these services, they would not have the
money to waste on over-heating the library.

------
pavel_lishin
For that matter, why not work at home?

When I worked at coffee shops a few days a week (or a month), I went
specifically to get some new background noise and new background scenery.

Although, I suppose a library offers even fewer distractions than home does,
and you do have to wear pants.

~~~
dbul
Here are three personal reasons:

1) It is good to be in an environment where others are hard at work because
you'll be less likely to screw around.

2) It feels like you are doing something fun (you are "out") and at the same
time working hard.

3) Home can be quite distracting unless you are fortunate enough to have a
large house with a nice office.

~~~
mechanical_fish
_It is good to be in an environment where others are hard at work because
you'll be less likely to screw around._

There is tons of psych research on the effect of isolation on humans.
Basically, it drives you insane. It is literally a form of torture. We are
social creatures, designed to live in packs and tribes. Even an _antisocial_
human is a relatively social creature.

It isn't easy to believe this until you've tried it. But I spent a year
working out of my home office, and now I have a cubicle in an office again,
and it is _astonishing_ how much happier and more productive I am when I'm
surrounded by other people, even if -- indeed, _especially_ if -- they don't
interact with me very much.

Of course, there is plenty of other research (not to mention lots of anecdotes
from folks like PG) on the benefits of not being interrupted when you're
trying to program. So what you really want _is_ the library, where there are
fellow humans around, but nobody will approach you or even speak in a loud
voice. (Or perhaps you want a fishbowl office like the one Joel Spolsky built,
where you can see lots of other people but you can't hear them.)

~~~
skinnymuch
I have found that weird. I'm a huge loner and don't particularly need to talk
to someone on a regular basis, but I get messed up if I'm not at least around
people a lot. That's the exact reason Starbucks is my second home right now.

About the no interruptions - I can't remember the last time someone's
interrupted my at Starbucks. But that could be that I always have my
headphones on and have my eyes fixated on my laptop screen or book.

~~~
likpok
I think the issue with $coffee-shop is not that someone will interrupt you
directly (e.g. talk to you), but that a commotion in the background will
interrupt you

------
hyperbovine
My local library has taken to advertising "Free WiFi!" with a big sign on the
side of the building. I find it really depressing--is that what we've come to
as a society? I guess "Free Books!" counts for nothing nowadays.

~~~
eru
How about making such a sign at home and planting it before the library at
night as a subversive action?

------
dpcan
Just worked at the Library yesterday. Hearing a few kids laughing and looking
at books is WAY better than hearing the espresso machine chatter from people
in line.

~~~
rufo
For me it's the blenders that drive me insane. I don't mind some background
chatter and often listen to music anyway, but those damn blenders cut through
earpieces and drive me a bit mad.

Still, I do enjoy it from time to time as a change of pace. Mostly I've
started working at our local co-working place in Rochester - unlimited coffee,
no worries about leaving your laptop if you need to run an errand, etc.

------
dylanz
You get less girls in mini-skirts at the library. Biggest, distraction, ever.

~~~
blhack
The girls in mini skirts, however, are a great motivator!

~~~
BigZaphod
Not when you're married. :)

------
michaelfairley
My problem with working in a coffee shop/library/anywhere is that I can only
use my laptop, and not my nice 22" dual monitor setup on my desktop. How do
you manage to get as much done without a real mouse, a real keyboard, and big
monitors?

~~~
carbon8
Virtual desktops.

~~~
abalashov
That only goes so far. Big screen gives you the ability to see many things
"simultaneously" -- well, requiring only to cast your eyes, not make
distracting and tedious mouse or keyboard movements and process mental context
switches from the contents of a totally different desktop.

------
AndrewO
Personally, I recommend a quiet corner of a 5 star hotel lobby/bar that has
free wifi and accommodating doormen. Our first 2 or 3 weeks we camped out on
the mezzanine overlooking the lobby of a not-to-be-named fancy hotel in DC
(interspersed with on-sites at a nearby client's).

The best part was when the piano player started at 5:00 we knew it was about
time to wrap up (and sometimes grab a scotch). That was a good way to end a
day.

Libraries, however, are a great choice for telecommuting (especially when home
is full of temptations for distraction).

------
Oompa
I love working at the Georgia Tech library. Open 24/7 during the business week
and it's nice and quite. It's one of the greatest perks of going to Georgia
Tech for me.

~~~
ajju
Edit: Well, I totally misinterpreted what the author meant by "work at".
This'll teach me to RTFA I guess.

FWIW, GT's library does rock. They have quiet area as well as group areas and
a great set of workstations as well. The only thing missing is a decent coffee
machine.

~~~
Oompa
Jazzman's on the first floor provides decent coffee, but sadly not open 24/7.

------
technomancy
I've found you actually get a lot more disruptive crazies at the libraries. I
think it has something to do with the fact that it _is_ free.

------
AndrewO
Definitely agree.

However, one thing to be aware of is that a lot of parents use libraries as
excursions/free daycare and librarians are reluctant to yell at kids. Not that
I blame either of them (good job, parents. Let's get those kids reading
early!), but have some headphones for when the usual decorum breaks down.

Still, it beats the over-commercialized folk music and hissing espresso
machines of the coffee shop.

------
simonista
I'd also recommend University Campuses for this kind of thing. As well as the
campus library, many buildings have private study rooms

------
huhtenberg
With regards to the noise and chatter in coffee shops (or the lack of thereof
in libraries) - try using noise-canceling headphones and a bit of music of
your choice. I was really surprised how well these headphones muffle all
external sound. Though you do need some music, because otherwise the _silence_
becomes distracting :)

------
ivankirigin
The biggest reason I wouldn't work at either is that I can't use a huge
display. That matters more for my productivity than the differences between
the two options here.

~~~
DenisM
Tried the 17" MacBook? 1900x1200.

~~~
ivankirigin
I used that and a 30" display. It is far bigger

------
xel02
I've found that the quietest library on my campus is the Law library. Very few
undergrad groups studying there (which is usually what causes noise I've
found).

------
SwellJoe
I've started noticing folks using their laptops at various locations around
the local library at all hours of the day. I didn't realize it at first, but I
guess they're there for the WiFi. A couple of nights ago, around midnight,
there were two cars with a total of three laptops running parked in the lot
with folks hunched over them. I guess they leave the network running all
night.

I've thought about taking the dogs, my lappy, and finding a nice shady spot to
sit down outside the library, and seeing if I can get some work done...but I
never seem to be able to pull myself away from my desktop, mouse, and 24"
monitor. Maybe tomorrow.

------
vegashacker
It's strange that he listed "Phone calls" as one of the reasons he loves
working at the library. If you read the explanation, it's a wash in terms of
coffee house v. library in this category.

One downside of the library is that it's often not convenient to grab a cup of
coffee or snack. The main branch in SF has a cafe, but it's way in the
basement. The Chinatown branch doesn't have any food or drinks.

~~~
321abc
Bring your own snack, and coffee in a thermos bottle. Then just step outside
the library for a few minutes to eat/drink what you brought.

~~~
whye
San Jose's MLK library lets you bring drinks and food, with some restrictions.
There is also a decent coffee shop on the ground floor. The down side is the
large number of homeless hitting you up for money, the fragrant bathrooms, and
some SJSU students who can be a little inconsiderate about noise / cell
phones. Still, if you need a quiet place with internet to work, I'd recommend
it.

------
imp
My local library is nice, but they block SSH access. That's a bigger downside
than the distractions at the coffee shop next door.

~~~
321abc
Maybe you could set up an SSH server on port 80.

~~~
imp
Ah, good point. Didn't think about that.

~~~
eru
Or tunnel ssh via https.

------
abalashov
My biggest problems with trying to work in a variety of public places (coffee
shops, libraries, universities, Panera, lobbies of various buildings,
whatever) are:

\- Lack of large display. I can't really do anything serious on a laptop
anymore. I know I used to before large displays are affordable, but it just
feels indispensable now - for development work, at least.

\- LATENCY! Public wifi hotspots suffer from lack of QoS policing or fair
queueing, and there are always going to be a few annoying people with virus-
laden Windows laptops around to help slow things down. I work on large telecom
systems that pretty much require me to do my development remotely via SSH
and/or SSHFS and/or NFS over VPN; there is no local development alternative
for me. I can't cram my stuff onto a laptop. So, if I have to deal with
substantial lag (consistent or spikes) over an SSH session my productivity
just circles the drain.

------
nwatson
Don't know about others, but I need some noise and distraction to work. A
library feels like a tomb, no life at all.

------
rjb
For those of you in Chicago, you have to check out the Dominicks at Chicago
and Damen... The cast of characters at this place are something straight out
of Ghost World!

This captivating distraction aside, I am pretty sure all the Dominicks offer
free wifi, descent work environment and of course cheap foodstuffs.

------
datums
Completely agree. I've tried working at a Panera. I ended up getting a little
work done and eating 2 sandwiches. If you are serious about getting thing
done, try it one day and compare your productivity.

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10ren
My closest public library is actually quite noisy, people chatting in normal
conversation levels and so on, not hushed at all. I was a little surprised,
but the staff clarified that it's a "public library", not an "academic
library".

It's funny though: I don't mind a loud cafe. Maybe it's because there are many
voices, and it becomes a white-noise/hub-bub. But just one conversation is
very distracting. iPod helps, but it's not always enough.

------
wglb
I have done this. Tried starbucks but the music was what was killing the
concentration. So went to the library. But it is too small, so more than one
day in a row and you feel like you are sticking out. Next time will likely go
<http://www.library.northwestern.edu/> where I have a card.

------
igorgue
there is a Starbucks inside Barnes&Noble ;)

------
lloydarmbrust
Great idea. Hearing the barista yell the drink she finished making every 30
seconds tends to interrupt my train of thought.

------
whye
The down side: homeless people hitting you up for change every half hour. Not
to be a jerk because some of these people really are in a dreadful spot and
need help, but it /does/ make it hard to work in some libraries, for instance
(in the Bay Area), San Jose MLK, Los Altos, Palo Alto main branch.

------
billymeltdown
Dave writes:

> "there’s a much better - and cheaper - option just down the road. My
> library."

I disagree, I think coworking spaces are a far better option than the library!
Far cheaper than office space, environment for working and actually talking to
a co-worker or two, no social isolation, it just makes so much more sense.

~~~
tptacek
$250/mo is pretty steep for your first quarter in business. Using the library
until your company gets its sea legs, and then migrating to coworking spaces,
sounds like a good plan to me.

------
srini
Another huge plus for libraries: many of them have conference and meeting
rooms that you can book for free.

If you're in the Bay Area, mid-Peninsula, the San Carlos library has rooms
with whiteboards. Plus, it's only a ten minute drive to the likes of EA,
Oracle, etc.

------
dbul
_Places like Starbucks and Borders charge for Wi-Fi access_

Not entirely true. Borders is probably the only place I know that still
charges for wifi. Everywhere else it is either free or you get two hours free
by entering some kind of code.

~~~
vegashacker
Starbucks has a pretty annoying card registration thing, but once you do that,
the internet is usually hassle-free. Also, even though everyone seems to cite
this two hour limit (I have too), in practice I've never seen my internet
connection actually expire--and I spend a good amount of time in Starbucks.
Headed to one right now, in fact...

------
kuzux
I might be in one of the weirdest places to do stuff, a kebab house in turke.
i'm not "working" here, i'm currently in holiday and that was the only place i
could find free WiFi

------
bradgessler
The fatal flaw with working from the Library is no coffee.

~~~
jimbokun
Within walking distance of me, there are 3 libraries that have a place that
serves coffee.

(Carnegie Library Oakland, Carnegie Mellon Hunt, and Pitt Hillman, if you must
know.)

In addition, all of them are surrounded by coffee places, so you can stretch
your legs, get a coffee, maybe work at the coffee shop for a change of pace,
then return to the library for better concentration. I have studied for exams
and worked on long projects this way.

A former office mate and I would often run through all the options we had for
coffee. The coffee maker in our office and the beans my office mate ordered
from Hawaii. The sludge in the lounge coffee maker. Walk down the hall to the
department's espresso vending machine (which makes surprisingly good latte's).
The stand selling coffee and espresso one building over. Or walk about a block
to the two coffee shops across the street from each other (Starbuck's and a
local place).

Is coffee culture taken to such extreme in other places, or is this a
Pittsburgh thing?

------
oomkiller
Yeah but they usually don't have food and drink at libraries, so you'd have to
get up and leave if you got hungry, arguably reducing productivity.

~~~
philwelch
Food and drink at coffee shops is ridiculously overpriced. And some libraries
allow outside food or drink, so you can just pack a sandwich and thermos with
you.

Seriously, you're eating $3 slices of pound cake and drinking $4 coffees when
for that amount of money you can have ham sandwiches for a week?

------
brezina
during grad school I always found myself getting a real sensory deprivation
rush when I went to the library at night to study. Great idea to explore the
library as a working environment again now that i'm in the working world. Now
i just need to find libraries that are open late.

------
rokhayakebe
Try Barnes and Nobles. They have free WIFI and you can go upstairs where no-
one will bother you.

~~~
lanaer
Worth noting that not every B&N has an “upstairs”. Indeed, most of the B&Ns
I’ve been to have been 1 story, though the ones in large, wealthy, shopping
areas have been 2.

------
ajayrchandran
though if you are lucky you get to sit on these comfy sofas in
Starbucks....but i think i would be willing to let that go for the library
anytime

------
baddox
Do libraries have wifi?

~~~
eru
Ours does. (Magdeburg, Germany.)

