You walk through the doors of this massive Virginia library, expecting the usual silence and rows of reading room tables. But then you notice a coffee shop tucked into the corner, the kind where the drinks are made with care and the pastries look fresh.
And beyond that, there is a used bookstore, shelves packed with volumes that have lived other lives. I spent an afternoon here, moving between the reading rooms and the coffee shop, a cup in one hand and a stack of old books in the other.
The coffee was hot, the atmosphere was peaceful, and the books seemed to have stories of their own. The library itself is impressive, with research collections and archives that draw scholars from across the country…