The news comes from Wordery, a U.K.-based online bookseller (which may or may not have come up with these findings in an attempt to make its own social media splash). The not entirely rigorous methodology involved compiling a list of 40 libraries previously proclaimed most beautiful by a variety of publications (The Guardian, The Telegraph, Conde Nast Traveler), finding the hashtags associated with those libraries and comparing the numbers as of Nov. 9.

Based on the Instagram stats, Seattle’s shiny downtown library was deemed “most beautiful and popular” in the world, with 17,685 instances of the hashtag #seattlepubliclibrary (the number has since grown by about 1,000). SPL narrowly beat out Oxford’s Bodleian Library , but handily trounced the Vancouver Public Library , as well as stunning libraries in Brazil , Germany , Sweden , New York City and even Egypt’s Bibliotheca Alexandrina .

Superficial as the study may be, it does raise a few questions: Is “most Instagrammable” a title libraries are vying for? (And is that spelled with one “m” or two?) Are the hashtaggers reading books in addition to snapping pics? Or are they more interested in selfies than shelf content? (Related: the hashtag “bookshelfies,” devoted to photos of bookshelves, has 1,249 posts.) Lastly, does this mean SPL is an Instagram “influencer”?

A call to the library proved informative, as is customary. Andra Addison, communications director at SPL, was amused to report that no one had informed library staff of the building’s new boasting rights. But she wasn’t dismissive of Instagram fame. On the contrary, she was thrilled to hear it. “Having a library be a destination for people is incredible,” she said.

Addison has worked there since before the opening of the Koolhaas building, and remembers both the controversy and excitement about the radical new space. “When we opened, we had no idea how popular it could be for photos and film shoots,” she recalled, noting that indie bands, filmmakers and photographers were — and still are — drawn to the drama of the architecture.