The government has launched a new review pledging to put libraries "at the very heart" of the community.
Culture secretary Andy Burnham said on Thursday that the growth of internet resources meant it was particularly important to ensure libraries remained interesting and innovative.
The review will consider whether libraries should remain silent or if they should be social places with coffee shops and internet cafes.
It will also examine potential new library sites, such as sharing with a swimming pool or GP surgery, and look at ways of increasing the number of people using library services.
Burnham told the Public Library Authorities conference in Liverpool that the review aimed to "make sure that our libraries have a vibrant future".
"Our public library service is a fantastic national asset that has been empowering people and changing lives for more than 150 years," he said.
"We are absolutely committed to ensuring that a high-quality, free service - responsive to local needs - is available to all.
"In the internet age, shared experiences and a shared sense of place are more important than ever. Libraries are ideally placed to be that - a welcoming and stimulating place at the heart of the community where people can come together to learn.
"Learning, literacy and the written word will always be the heartbeat of the service, but there's much that can be done in addition to make them come alive for generations to come.
"There are some incredibly interesting things going on in our public libraries, far removed from the stereotype of dusty books and silence, that we should celebrate."
Culture minister Barbara Follett, who will lead the six-month review, said: "Everyone has the right to first-class libraries, wherever they live.
"No-one should have to put up with a lacklustre service: inward-looking and appealing only to its 'regulars'."
She insisted the government would "set the national vision" and not seek to "micromanage" the service.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd