October 14, 2002

Longing for a cup of coffee while studying in the library will soon be nothing but a distant memory. Starting last month, Homer Babbidge Library now allows users to bring their favorite beverage with them into the building, provided it is in a library-approved spill-proof mug.

Kelly Schreindorfer, a seventh-semester English major, takes a new, library-approved spill-proof mug with her while studying in the Auriemma Family Reading Room in the Homer Babbidge Library. Photo by Mohamed Faizal, UCIMT

"We've always tried to make the library an attractive and welcoming place," says Brinley Franklin, director of University Libraries. "Unfortunately, in the past when beverages were allowed, there were too many accidental spills that were adversely affecting the library's physical environment. With the arrival of this new mug, such accidents will cease to be a problem."

The refillable blue plastic mugs emblazoned with the libraries' logo are now on sale at the Co-op at a cost of $4.95. Only the official UConn spill-proof refillable library mugs are permitted in the library.

"For many students studying and drinking a cup of coffee or a glass of water go hand-in-hand," says Franklin. "We're changing our policy to make our environment more conducive to studying, to protect the library's collections and furnishings, and to preserve the ambiance of the library that our users have come to appreciate and expect."