Better With Coffee: Synergies And Library Patronage

Agglomeration effects are a relatively well-studied phenomenon in the marketing literature, but few works have attempted to quantify the benefits to a library of having another business nearby. Taking advantage of a closure for renovations, we quantify the causal effect of having an open Starbucks on the gate count at a nearby college library. We estimate about a 10% increase in foot traffic at the library associated with the coffee shop being open. At the same time, we see no increase in demand for other library services, implying that the appeal may be to a group of more casual users of the library as a third place.