Athenaeums are social libraries, cornerstones of a community where you don’t just borrow books – you can visit cherished antiquities, hold talks, attend parties – and even bring your dog. In Providence, R.I., the “Ath” is a 19th-century library with the soul of a 21st-century rave party.
Stacks
The old library in Burlington, Iowa had stacks like the ones shown in the picture with this story.
See:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadam/233904502/in/photostream/
Notice in this picture that the floor between the stacks is made of smoked glass so that light can go down to the lower stack.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jadam/233904503/in/photostream/