Thanks to all who gave their input on the definition of the word library.  As you may have guessed, I did have an ulterior motive when I posted my request.  The world is changing, and the role of libraries in the world is changing.  Are libraries still the silent bastions of study that they once were?  Or have they become community meeting places, centerpieces of the community?  Is one role preferable over the other? 

I have always loved libraries, because they are quiet, peaceful havens with lots and lots of books.  When I’ve been in school and used libraries for studying, my study breaks usually consisted of walking through the stacks, browsing through books of different topics.  I had the best study carrel my senior year in college – it had carpeted walls and was against the wall at the end of a long stack of books – and two stacks over from my carrel was a collection of books on the history of Pennsylvania.  I loved flipping through those aging books and learning more about the area in which my college was located.  I also loved going one floor down and across into the newer part of that library, to the section of old yearbooks, where I’d browse through looking for photos of my dad, my uncle, my brother, and friends who had graduated.  Somewhere in that section is my yearbook, the one I never bought a copy of for myself, with the photos of me and my boyfriend of the moment; I wonder if current students ever browse through that yearbook and wonder about that oddly matched couple. 

When I socialized in my college library, it was always in the main foyer area, where socializing was approved of, or on “the boat,” which was well known as the only section of the library where you could get away with talking.  You didn’t sit on “the boat” if you actually wanted to get work done.  And in my hometown’s library, the librarians were always quite strict about maintaining a quiet atmosphere.  The main socializing that occured between teens at that library took place via copious graffiti in the study carrels.

So obviously my bias is towards libraries as quiet, reflective places where I can bury myself in a book and lose track of time and space.  Some would probably consider this model to be old-fashioned, and it probably is.  But what happens when we lose the peaceful aspect of libraries?  Are there any other public spaces in our society that provide room for silent contemplation?  How necessary is it to have calm havens?  Is there a greater need for a safe, controlled community space that is open to all?  And if a library becomes a community gathering spot, does that then draw more people to reading, people who might not otherwise visit the library and check out books, thereby serving more people in the community than if it were operating on my old-fashioned library model?

I don’t have answers to these questions.  Truly, I don’t know which library direction is more important for the world today.  All I know for sure is that my own personal preference is for silence in a library, a preference born out of my love of books and reading, my past library experiences, and my tendency towards introversion.