what makes a good fantasy library?

Books, lots and lots of books -- pretty books, gorgeous books, rare books loaded with arcane knowledge from all over the world and all through history (and forgotten histories and alternate histories), neatly lined up on shelves or overflowing in untidy piles, in a cavernous space or a twisty, cramped nook that holds more than seems possible. It should be mysterious and  hidden -- or hidden in plain sight. It need not be located in a magical world (although books are inherently magical), but if it is, it might be guarded by a friendly dragrynix.

This is just opinion, which is, of course, perfectly appropriate for fantasy 'cause, by definition, it's all made up anyway.

dragrynix

A new mythical creature, just for fun.

The dragrynix is a mix of dragon, gryphon, and phoenix. They're hatched from eggs, but like the phoenix, they're re-born over and over from the ashes of their firey demise. Because of their dragon genes, they breathe out the flames for this process. The controlled burn is little tidier than spontaneously combusting. They can also direct it to one injured part of the body for a quick fix -- very handy.

They're wild creatures, nesting in caves high in mountains or cliffs. They're mostly solitary except when raising their young, They can't be kept as pets or working animals. However, a few have been known, on rare occasions,  to enter into alliances with humans when it suits their purposes.

They not only guard and preserve treasure -- both the shiny kind and the intellectual or cultural kind -- but they restore it when it gets damaged (it's part of their rebirth instinct). After spending centuries with hoards of rare books, some have taught themselves to read.

This one has the head of a phoenix, the wings of an eagle, the tail of a dragon, and the body and paws of a lion. Some have the head and wings of a dragon, the torso of a phoenix, the forefeet and claws of an eagle, and the hindquarters and tail of a lion. Others have the head of an eagle, the wings of a dragon, the coloring of a phoenix, and the body, paws, and tail of a lion. Those are especially cute when they're young and their head feathers are still downy fluff, and they're curled up to sleep with their tail around them.