Today marks the beginning of Book Week. A whole seven days dedicated to celebrating the impact of books in our lives and a chance to appreciate all the authors, writers, and educators who’ve helped expand our brains with the power of the written word.

Over time, this creative power has inevitably spilled over into the vast world of video games, with game developers the world over fabricating a treasure trove of fictional libraries that players can run around in, embedding their own stories and histories within their meticulously crafted digital worlds.

This list is a celebration of some of the most intriguing libraries in video game history, covering everything from fantasy colleges to post-apocalyptic word havens…and your occasional book prison.
 

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade | The Shinra Building 62nd Floor | Corporate Archives

Say what you will about Shinra’s business practices, but it’s hard to argue with how they store a book. Now, I’m not condoning the inherent corruption of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade’s villainous corpo entity. But also, the Shinra Building’s archives are a stunning feat of digital architecture, even if it does look like a book panopticon (booknopticon?).

Located on the 62nd floor of the neon- and metal-soaked Shinra Building, the archives are a place of organic respite for Cloud and co. and feature a soft piano soundtrack that makes your short time in there so much more pleasant. The cold modernity of the Shinra Building is offset by the Corporate Archive’s tall mahogany walls and hundreds of shelves filled with warm-toned hardbacks—it’s no wonder glorified librarian Mayor Domino set up his office in here. Watch out for the Gil boxes while you’re at it, and don’t leave without saying hello to the adorable robot assistant.
 

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim | The Arcanaeum

Nestled comfortably in the College of Winterhold, players can find an ancient, well-kept library called The Arcanaeum. An Orc mage named Urag gro-Shub runs the show, whose librarian job status comes with folded arms, a stern attitude, and, at times, an overzealous approach to bookkeeping. If you so much as dare to lay a finger on his pristine collection, you’ll be in deep trouble—and on the receiving end of a lecture. 

Yet despite the dodgy company, The Arcanaeum is actually a wonderful place to spend some time in Skyrim, with cozy candlelight brightening up the stone bricks and animal hide rugs. It’s a great place to kick back and read a few short stories while working through the Winterhold questline, and finding and selling precious books to the grumpy proprietor is a decent way to earn some gold. Just don’t get caught stealing. 
 

Thimbleweed Park | Edmund Mansion mansion library 

At their core, libraries are about fostering communities, a mission statement the developers at Terrible Toybox ran with when creating the Edmund Mansion mansion library in Thimbleweed Park. If you’re wondering about the verbose name, it’s a reference to a 2016 tweet where auto-correct got the better of Ron Gilbert. Inside the ornately decorated pixel palace, players can find a collection of books that aren’t just for show.  Backers and fans of the game’s development were prompted to submit tall tales, with many of these stories fleshing out the shelves.

The library has an ornate atmosphere complemented by soft yellow lighting that makes it feel like a shelter to ponder puzzle solutions. As you explore higher via the spiral staircases, you’ll also find classical portraits and upmarket chandeliers that develop a fancy ambiance.
 

Fallout 3 | Arlington Library

Fallout 3’s Arlington Library serves as a lesson in taking care of old things, as this now derelict and gloomy building houses boatloads of tasty Fallout lore—as well as scores of destroyed literature. 

With the Brotherhood of Steel controlling the lobby and scores of Raiders lining its halls, you’re going to have to put up a fight if you want to borrow any of its books. So make sure to bring plenty of ammo and a few Nuka-Colas alongside your reading glasses. Scribe Yearling will thank you if you pick up any pre-War books while you’re clearing it out.
 

Alan Wake Remastered  Bright Falls Book Store

No one knows books better than developer Remedy’s seminal author Alan Wake, whose own creations progressively come back to haunt him across the events of the first game. In Episode 5: The Clicker, you’ll battle your way through waves of Taken alongside the town’s Sheriff Sarah Breaker. Eventually, the duo earn themselves a small break in the town’s quaint bookshop, a well-lit shelter from the darkness spilling out into the town.

Beside its decorated shelves, you can find jarring hyperrealistic posters, a collectible Thermos, and a whole load of Alan Wake novels, much to the protagonist’s dismay. See if you can catch all the references to his hard-boiled Alex Casey books like The Sudden Stop, which themselves are homages to Remedy’s Max Payne games. The Bright Falls Book Store is a charming window into what once was a sleepy mountain town—and a chance to flex the development team’s sense of humor.

LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga | Jedi Archives

A home for some of the galaxy’s most precious data—Kamino notwithstanding—The Jedi Archives is a feast for the studs in LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. Though the place was famously razed to the ground after Palpatine’s proclamation in the movies, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga enables players to wander around its neon blue halls in all their chunky glory. 

You can’t read any books, sadly, but you can complete some fun puzzles by moving around statues of famous Jedi Masters, and earn a share of studs for your trouble. If you get bored, you can also have a chat with librarian Jocasta Nu, who’ll be happy to regale you with some wise old stories.
 

Disney Dreamlight Valley | Dreamlight Library 

In Disney Dreamlight Valley, the famed magician Merlin guides you along your journey to free the land from the Night Thorns plaguing the realm. And once you’ve made friends with the wizard, you’ll be invited to his own unique home, the Dreamlight Library, which is a sparkly hub full of chunky tomes and half-melted candles. 

In a sweet nod to Belle’s passion for reading, if you follow the Beauty and the Beast questline, you’ll be compelled to collect books from the valley’s inhabitants for her and find the perfect shelf within Merlin’s home, whether he wants the company or not.