PITT LAW SCHOOL'S BARCO LIBRARY FEATURES STUDENT LOUNGE AND COFFEE BAR

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 31 -- Students in the University of Pittsburgh School of Law can now take a break from their intensive study in the Barco Law Library to relax in its new Fawcett Student Commons, which includes the Sidebar, an innovative coffee bar featuring Starbucks Coffee.

Professor George Pike, director of the library, said that the facility was "designed to provide a gathering place for our community of students, faculty, and staff; to encourage interaction; and ultimately strengthen the learning environment here at the School of Law."

The Sidebar coffee bar is one of only a few of its kind to be housed in the center of an active library. "The library community has recognized the success of these facilities in bookstores and other academic buildings. More and more libraries are exploring coffee bars as a way of enhancing the service that they offer to their patrons," said Pike.

The Fawcett Student Commons, open during library hours, provides magazines, legal and other newspapers, comfortable seating, and improved lighting. Features to be added include data ports to enable laptop computer users to access Pitt's digital library, the Internet, and other on-line research resources; a popular reading collection; and additional café-style furnishings.

The facility is located within the Barco Law Library on the fourth floor of the Law Building, 3900 Forbes Avenue, Oakland. The Sidebar coffee bar will be open Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and on Saturday, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

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