thanks to project gutenberg and the rise of the e-reader, paper backed books are going to go extinct. Classical works and all free literature will be in the hands of everyone in the world instantaneously.
Yeah whoever designed GW library has no taste. It could be that it is too expensive to build any other way, or perhaps building codes do not allow for as much leeway. No matter, most modern buildings suck the big one. The outside of GW is fine, the inside is devoid of any ambiance whatsoever. I have been to the Northwester U library, and it is ok. Nothing special.
"Study halls" for students who want to look "cool" while sipping their hot chocolate and doing their algebra homework.
The single most intriguing place and exciting as well is a library, and by library, I do not mean the stupid libraries that all towns have (who cannot even afford it), I mean a real library in an IVY League school or a research school like Stanford or Chicago. Libraries take you away from the daily grind and into the world of imagination and free thinking. I would rather eliminate the professional sports, most of TV, and most of Cinema and people should spend that money on libraries.