Abstract
Libraries as settings for studying have changed with the arrival of new technologies and as places where studying is not necessarily a solitary activity but may involve social interaction. Libraries now contain a diversity of spaces which aim to have particular properties that enhances the study experience, such as ‘coziness’. Coziness may be intuitively understood by architects, designers and users alike as a positive quality of a space but is rarely defined. A multiple sorting procedure in conjunction with interviews with a sample of University students who were regular users (both social and solitary) of a University Library enabled the identification of the psycho-physical properties of coziness. Library spaces are experienced as cozy when they are seen to be attractive aesthetically; functionally comfortable in terms of meeting students’ needs for private and social learning; emotionally comfortable affording feelings of control, safety, and affection; and physically and socially warm.