The Airport Library at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport provides physical books, oversized chairs, and charging access. Photo: Chad Showalter/Kenton County (Ky.) Public Library

The layover was supposed to last two hours. Instead, it stretched into four or five.

Traveling alone through ­Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky ­International Airport (CVG), a woman wandered the concourse looking to pass the time. Then she spotted a sign for the Airport Library. When she arrived, she sat down, plugged in her devices, and picked up a historical biography she said she never would have chosen under normal circumstances.…