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 Yelp yet, but here is the Killam:
http://fm.dal.ca/campusmap/images/bpics/c580.jpg
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 (2nd - 4th 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). read more