Longboat Library to convert to cafe

APRIL FOOLS —

Buoyed by a $75,000 financial boost from Sarasota County to replace the roof at the Longboat Library, the library’s board has decided it’s time to go all-out and enter the new millennium.

The board announced Friday it is going to convert the library to the Longboat Library & Coffee Café, complete with the latest in mocha lattes, cappuccinos, espressos and gourmet desserts — and a tarot card reader.

The board said it plans to add 700 square feet to the building to accommodate the café. The board said the café will be a place for library patrons to enjoy reading in the comfort of multiple leather chairs and couches; have access to wireless internet; watch big-screen TVs with Bluetooth earphones; and enjoy their lattes and desserts at the café’s bar.

Library volunteers will serve as the café’s baristas. They will be trained this summer in an internship program at the St. Armands Circle Starbucks.

The board also said it will include a room designated specifically for tarot card readings, which will be provided by one of the library volunteers who is a board-certified reader.

Longboat Library, a non-profit private corporation, has been leasing its current property from the town for $2 a year.

The board said it plans to pay for the $350,000 addition through a combination of private donations and a grant from the Sarasota County School District. Construction is expected to begin this summer and be completed when the newly redeveloped Publix opens.