[phalgunr]

No, I'm being serious! I thought about libraries being the same thing as Borders/Barnes & Noble chains (if you're in the U.S.), but there's something about the bookstore (being able to speak at a normal tone, having a coffee shop in there) that seems to attract people more.

This might be a crazy (the wrong type of crazy) idea, or coming from me being sad about the fall of Borders and the eventual demise of B&N.

But I do notice that people prefer to "hang out", stroll around, or spend an evening at a bookstore than a library.