[asdff]

My old unis main library was a model. Massive grand reading room that was dead silent (with felted chairs to keep them silent) and a statue of an angel without a head to motivate you. Open collaborative areas. Computer labs in separate wings.

It also had a dozen floors of stacks in a tower with little tables and cubicles shoved in on the edges and near the elevator because as you said, the shelving muffles noises.