The Brewed Awakening is a popular campus meeting spot. The Brewed Awakening in the MSU Libraries by Jan Zauha The hiss of steam and the whirr of a grinder not so long ago signaled the chaos of construction in the MSU Renne Library. Since the end of the renovation in summer 2002, however, these sounds have a much happier association. They emanate now from the civilized environs of Heathcote Court, specifically from the Brewed Awakening, the new full-service beverage bar on the library's main floor. Designed as a magnet for students, the Brewed Awakening taps into the popular coffee culture on campus while capitalizing on the library's unique position as the heart of the university. Stocked with comfortable armchairs and coffee tables, new books, changing art displays and almost any (covered) beverage a student can dream up, the Heathcote Court and the Brewed Awakening entice students to enter further into the intellectual and social life of the university. Here thinking, drinking, meeting and reading are encouraged in ways only cafes have done historically. The Brewed Awakening has proved very popular with the campus community. In its second year of operation (2003-2004 academic year), its gross revenue increased 50 percent over the prior year. This is very good news for the MSU Libraries on several levels. Brisk business at the Brewed Awakening contributes considerably toward a lively library environment conducive to the growth and exchange of ideas. It also brings in funds. Although it is operated by the MSU University Food Service, the Libraries see 5 percent of the gross revenue from the Brewed Awakening. These library funds are kept in a designated account and are used to maintain and refresh the Heathcote Court, keeping its plants green, its furniture comfortable and students happy. The advent of online access to information resources has not meant the death of the brick and mortar library. On the contrary, new services and amenities like the Brewed Awakening and group study rooms are making the MSU Libraries a destination of choice for a new generation of students. In the new library, students find more choice, more freedom and more opportunities to participate. Appropriately, even the name of the Brewed Awakening reflects student choice. Bruce Morton, dean of the MSU Libraries, recalls, "The name 'The Brewed Awakening' was selected by a survey of students who chose it from a list of names. I think it resonates with the double entendre of the rude awakenings that should be taking place constantly in a university library. Knowledge, after all, can be startling."