CAFETERIAS AS WORK SPACES…? YOUR 100% FREE ALTERNATIVE!

My love-hate relationship with working remotely from coffee shops is an endless push and pull. How did we get here? How for most of us, has the idea of going into a local library, instead of a coffee shop, to get some work done, seemingly disappeared from our minds?

Phoyo by Olga Bohovyk

I'm writing this from the city where I was born, Malaga, inside the café Polifonía, a place that used to be a musical instrument store, but is now a bustling hip café. It's very well located - directly in front of Malaga's higher music conservatory. Books and instruments line the walls and the studious aesthetic inside practically screams "working café" (although in many of these places you are no longer allowed to use your computer).

I do love this place, but at the same time I feel a certain rejection. The constant chatter, the loss of local identity and the general sounds of a commercial business in operation, are all down-sides for me. Although it could have exorbitant prices and be the total cliché of a working café/specialty coffee shop, it does not - its prices are actually pretty good - especially being in a neighbourhood with as much history as this one (I give it a 10/10 for that). But that's not the issue.

I wanted to reflect on how these places have perhaps dazzled us so much, that distracted by our iced macchiatos and hipster playlists, we have maybe forgotten the existence of a place where silence is a given, with facilities better prepared for studying or working, and totally free of charge: Libraries.

Photo by Ricky Esquivel

As a Malaga native, I attribute this forgetfulness to something that is more than justification for those eternally chilled out places full of tables, books and a sepulchral silence to evaporate from our memories - there are virtually NONE in my home town.

The small number of public libraries in Malaga is unbelievable. Not all neighbourhoods have, nor are they large enough to be able to meet the needs of, a city in complete ferment. So my home-town alternative has usually been to “sneak” into the university libraries. Something that always makes me a little nervous, but that I have no choice but to do, if I want to read, study or work without having to pay 4.50 for a matcha latte. When I really just want a mitad doble with a pitufo before work.

However, my experience is totally different in the capital, Madrid (where I now live). There are libraries in almost every neighbourhood. All with good to decent facilities, they are a perfect place to concentrate and escape. They are some of my favourite places in the city without a doubt, and are wonderful to explore, without the noise, smells, screams of your local cafes, and with an abundance of peace and quiet (in addition to plugs and good lighting!).

I recommend you try one, even if just the once. One visit, and I think you'll see what I'm talking about. Or should I say - what I'm whispering about.. Oh - and they also have books, of course. Loads of them . Which you can take out and borrow for free! So get to it. (and, shhh!)

Here are some of my favourites in the Spanish capital:

The municipal library of Aluche

• Camarena Street 10

• Metro Laguna or Casa de Campo

The José Saramago municipal library (Fuencarral-El Pardo)

• Monforte de Lemos Street 38

• Metro Barrio del Pilar, Avenida de la Illustration or Peñagrande

The Iván de Vargas municipal library (Center)

• 5 San Justo Street

• Metro Tirso de Molina, La Latina or Opera