In the digital age, with the world's knowledge accessible through a smartphone, colleges are reassessing traditional campus libraries, with their no-talking rules and rows of musty book stacks.
Hundreds of schools, from Ivy League universities to community colleges, have remade their main libraries as colorful hubs of college life.
Colleges are introducing on-site cafes, group study areas, 24-hour access and sofas designed for dozing.
Western Michigan University Dean of Libraries Julie Garrison says the welcoming touches reflect the latest thinking about the millennial generation's learning habits and recognition that students with laptops and Wi-Fi access can study anywhere.
