Killam Memorial Library

I love studying here. It’s cozy, there are computers, printers and a second cup (avoid subway though). On the upper floors there are cool places to study as a group or alone with plenty of plugs to keep you charged.
I love the book section as well. It’s like a maze of books and the red walls really appeal to me for some reason. It’s also super quiet in there.
The dal online library is also ridiculously extensive and I love it!
On the negative side, there are signs everywhere telling people to shut up and be quiet because it’s a god damn library and not a discussion hub, but I can still tell you every stupid detail about Laura’s date last Saturday night with Brian and how totally boring and lame he was. Thanks Laura. I didn’t need to know that much about your personal life (also I pity the man who dates your ungrateful ass). So please, shut the hell up and be respectful of others in a no chat zone, ‘Kay?

Good library, went out of their way to order in materials which I needed.

I’ve had very few experiences with the Killam Library seeing as how I never actually went to Dalhousie University. Still, I’ve found myself within the looming walls on more than one occasion and continue to have a hard time repressing the feeling that the building makes me think of something you’d find in Mordor.
Dated Lord of the Rings reference, anyone? No? Okay fine.
While the actual library floors and I aren’t well acquainted, I do enjoy the unique feel of the atrium and the hidden Second Cup with surprisingly friendly staff. In fact, the Second Cup folks took the edge off the fact that most Killam staff pretend not to see you even when you’re explicitly looking for help.
Props for the classroom on the second floor too. That space is a killer spot for interactive meetings or casual conferences — comfortable seating from wheelie chairs to couches, and many grouped pods with power cords, screen hook-​ups, etc.

I’m no longer a student, but that doesn’t stop me from hiding in the stacks at the Killam, admiring the vast selection of books.
Sometimes I’ll head to a section without a particular title in mind, I’ll sit on the floor and pull down book after book, reading the summaries, finding out the edition numbers and publication dates… oh the excitement and wonder.
The Killam is a drab and dreary old building, having escaped the blessings of the good layout gods and the aesthetic appeal fairies. It’s a hideous work of architecture, but one mustn’t judge a book by its cover, because after investigating the shelves and shelves of spines, you’ll find that this is in fact a gem.
Every subject and category is Dewey Decimaled away in this huge building, organized efficiently so that you can find what you’re looking for with relative ease.
If you’re not a student, fear not, for the Killam dishes out borrowers’ cards to anyone with identification. This is a great library with a lot of wonderful literature for every reader from A to Z.

I must say, I’m a little surprised to see so many positive reviews for the soul crushing monstrosity that is the Killam Memorial Library, Dalhousie University’s main library. First of all the atrium is a tad bizarre and ominous. Apparently the atrium was left open to the elements until 1996, when it was covered over with glass. I think it would have been much more enjoyable to sit studying watching snow flutter past the windows, than it is to see the dripping green rust stains that now seem to predominate.
I found the organization of the stacks somewhat lacking when I attended Dalhousie as well. Often I would go on a quest for something like: J 4i567, only to find that section J runs up on a wall part way through and you have to double back around to the north side of the building to find out where it starts up again.
The concrete exterior of the building also makes for very little natural light. Something about studying in a cool, dank space with fluorescent lights buzzing overtop does not exactly instill the rigor and drive you would hope.
The sole redemption of the Killam Memorial Library is the Learning Commons. There are lots of mac’s and pc’s all hooked up to colour as well as black and white printers. A few also have scanners attached and other useful technological devices.
Overall, the ‘Killam’ could do with a pretty big overhaul in my mind. Better organization of the sections and a more productivity-​inducing environment would make a big difference. I know the board of trustees can’t control the name of benefactors but the name of this library is pronounced: kill-‘em, which isn’t exactly inspiring, you have to admit.

It doesn’t get better than this!
Or I have no idea what other library in the city has this many books! I hate to say it, but Killam is even better than the Halifax library when it comes to the number of books and the sheer size of the place. Whenever I have research to be done, this is the first place I go to. Not just because its closer to where I live than the Halifax library. But because it has just a large selection and I am almost never disappointed.
The place itself is a bit on the depressing looking side of things. It is very dark and has a mix of blacks and browns. However, you will definitely love the atrium as you walk in. You also don’t have to be a student to go there of course. The only downside is the wireless Internet is not free and is only reserved for students of Dalhousie. It would be great if there was another service for non-​students even if we had to pay a few dollars an hour.
All-​in-​all Killam library is still one of the best libraries to go to in the entire city. If they had free wireless or wireless that cost a dollar or two for non-​students like myself, then you would see five stars. But four is more than respectable and they definitely deserve it. The staff are very friendly and helpful and I never have a hard time looking for a place to set up shop and start my research. Unless it is exam time of course.

Rating something before you write the review relies on immediate intuitive appraisal. And the immediate, intuitive appraisal upon seeing Dalhousie’s Killam Library is, «this is where books are kept.» «Kept» being italicized, a subtle force binding something someway. Indeed, books are kept at Killam Library, kept with care and concern, loaned with the same descriptions, and returned for the impression the great structure makes.
I’m not sure how to post a photo on Unilocal yet, but here is the Killam:
An inverted bunker, reaching towards the sublime with its awesome mass of concrete. Not the most aesthetically pleasing building, yet its purpose is served by its impressive size: its service relies on its size: a building relying on the virtue of its patrons to return loans is served by a threatening aspect. The Killam secures books.
And I might say, the Killam Memorial Library is the best securer of books I’ve had the pleasure of repeatedly visiting. For you to glean the absolute force of that sentence, you might wish to know how many other libraries I’ve been to, to understand, yes, despite all those, this one reigns. Well, having made a cross-​Canada trip this summer, including visits to UBC, SFU, U of T, Ryerson, Concordia, and McGill, and their libraries (specifically, their libraries for humanities), the Killam retained its bragging right. Its best features are individual work-​spaces along the perimeter of almost every floor (2^nd — 4^th floor), being open to the public, silent work spaces on every floor, diligent, knowledgeable staff, numerous express space and work space computers, group study areas, printers, scanners, office equipment of all kind, and its consistent cleanliness. It caters to both the individual and the collective. Larger libraries, or universities, have to cater to their larger sizes, and so they don’t often have the carrels the Killam has for the individual. Dalhousie’s medium size remembers both. (Though I believe the ominously-​referred to «Killam» is the largest library around. It’s certainly the largest in Halifax).
As well, the design of the Killam, with its slit-​windows running from ground-​to-​roof every 8 paces or so, affords the relaxing prospect of staring at whatever its great strength is sheltering you from. From the outside, it might appear harsh, but from the inside, looking outside, it’s a reassuring, relaxing, imprisoning prospect — yet, a welcoming imprisonment, like you needed the break from the outside world. Watch the snow fall, the rain pour, or the sun shine through, and feel assured that the Killam will remain, keeping books safe from sunrise to sunset, year to year, decade to decade, as the desk graffiti becomes unlikely epitaph. (Bonus: because it’s an older building, from 1971, there are a lot of old signatures, etc, to read on the desks. Welcome distractions, sometimes).
With amenities at ground floor, drink coffee, eat oatcakes, study, read, write, rent, while away the time, in the best place to do so in Halifax.
(Another bonus: Check out international newspapers and magazines for free on the second floor).