Hi, Andrew!
Your sanctuary of solitude brings back such memories – brilliant! I live in a quite rural area now so just hanging out at a library is no longer one of my sanctuaries – I’ve made do, though, with book trading clubs, the Internet, and of course book stores.
Your post just conjured up the smells I recall walking into various libraries at the universities I attended or in the big cities in which I’ve lived, and I felt a little homesick. I remember reading from a book, placing it back on the shelf (in its correct spot), and returning the next day whenever I’d already reached my check-out limit. Then I’d read my checked out books at home.
Smiles!