beautiful building- terrible library! where are all the books! If your looking for a building that…read moreis older with a pretty exterior then yes go to enjoy the architecture. But DONT waste your time going if your interested in books. It is like they modernized the entire interior of the building for people to sit on their iPhones looking at their screens with a couple of books in the background for decor! It was severely disappointing! I brought my kids and they had some nice children's books but very few, and the kids area smelled strongly of urine. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I go to the library for the books and this building is hardly a library. A mobile library would have more books, very disappointing based on all the high reviews I read prior to going today for the first time. There was modern looking seating and a big trolly of Chromebooks to rent, but not a single person I saw was even reading a book, they were all just on their phones!

A nice, peaceful place to whether study, relax or just sitting there and using its free wi-fi.read more

Love this place as it's super spacious! There are some kids…read moreprograms so it can get a little noisy but feels big enough that you are not annoyed

I've never been much of a library geek, and the only reason I have a library card was so that I…read morecould access the internet for group study sessions. None-the-less, there are many reasons I personally love this place and the first would be because it's large. The third level I found quite usual these past few years of my university life because it's a good place to have a group meeting and speak at a little more than a whisper without feeling guilty about it. The size also means they have an excellent selection of everything you would possibly want (fiction, non-fiction, crafts, DVD's, music, foreign books, etc.). There are plenty of seating areas, a number of computers, and the place has this relaxed feel to it. The location (as long as you're in the south) is also quite nice since it's close to Southcentre, in case you're tempted to do a little shopping, perhaps grab some Starbucks or food, etc. It's also built like a pyramid, and what is cooler than a pyramid library? Nothing.

I always enjoy visiting libraries when I visit new cities. When I saw the beauty of this library…read morethrough pictures and reviews, I knew I had to visit this one. Honestly, the pictures don't do it justice. In person, it was much nicer and cleaner. Every section of the library was sparkling clean and clearly maintained well. There are 4 stories with computers, meeting rooms, tables, coffee shop, art installations, children's area, etc. They definitely made it so there are plenty of resources available for whatever you may need. The only downfall I can think of is that the library has quite a bit of drugged up people in there as well as right outside and some of them causing a scene or clearly making others uncomfortable. I understand it's a public facility but it's still a negative aspect about the library.

A cool architectural building with ample artificial and natural lighting coming through the…read morewindows. There 3 levels out do with a children's section on the 3 floor with a play area and multiple reading areas and kids books spread out. They have mega cheese board and table chest set up on the 4th floor with a manual hockey board and crossword puzzle on the white board. They also have a little cafe serving coffee, lattes, tea, smoothies, and ice cream desserts. Reasonably priced. It's a cool place to check out on a rainy day in Calgary. They have free tours on Tuesdays and Saturdays from 12-1pm plus an escape library game on select dates.

I've recently discovered the magic of working from the library. For those of us, who can work from…read morehome, the library is an amazing opportunity to enjoy a great working space, without the temptation of Ellen or Oprah. The membership to the Calgary-area libraries is only $12 a year and pretty much gives your free-reign on any of their locations in the city, plus they have free wi-fi or some desktops computers you can work from. You don't even have to drop your books/dvds off at the same spot you picked them up at. Blockbuster should take note! This location is called the Alexander Calhoun branch and it is relatively small. It is right on the bus route, but I don't think it sees a ton of traffic. There are some nice tables, but there aren't a ton, so if you get your space, hold on to it. The staff is really nice and very helpful. I think they were surprised that I wanted a membership, but I've now made it my mission to make the library cool again!

Alexander Calhoun is small but it does the job. If you're looking for a library with a large…read moreselection of books and lots to browse through, this may not be the place for you. It never seems overly busy, though, and the people who work here are nice enough to not make faces when I make my quarterly trip into the library to pay fines. Since I usually reserve & pick up books, it works well for me overall. I'm about equidistant between this library and the one in Signal Hill but drive past this one on a much more frequent basis. A yearly membership is only $12 (if you're not constantly paying fines, like me) and the library has a pretty good online account management system & library catalogue, of course. If only they'd put fine payments online :)

I love visiting libraries whenever I travel somewhere new, and this is a gem in Calgary! While…read morethere's not a lot of parking in the small lot out front, you can park on the street and walk over pretty easily. The library is open from morning till night, and I was surprised by how many people frequent here throughout the day. There are activities for kids, tables for studying, free Internet (you do need to register for a card, but it's good for 3 years), and friendly staff. Thanks to this library, I was able to get some work done without trouble, all in a calm, soothing atmosphere!

Having seen this library about a zillion times in my travels, I thought it was due time for me to…read moreactually step foot inside. Yesterday I made an impromptu stop as I travelled via C-Train. First things first: Could this library be ANY easier to get to?!?!? It's situated right across (literally a 10 second walk across the street) from the Lion's Park C-Train stop. The library itself looks quite small, until you step foot inside. It's a lot bigger than I expected it to be - looks really can be deceiving! They've got 10 complimentary computers with Internet access available to everyone, immaculate washrooms right at the door, a calm, quiet crowd and a very friendly and efficient staff. I'm most definitely a fan of this branch. Easy to get to, cool vibe, and shopping right next door - I'm one happy camper!

The digital library concept seems horribly flawed, and the execution is unfortunately not paying…read moreoff. I was a student here from 1987 to 1996, and of course the beauty of the library then was that you could walk up to the shelves, pick up a book, and read it. For those interested in military history, particularly alumni, we have been cut off from access to hundreds - possibly thousands - of rare and out of print volumes, that have been shuttled off to The Military Museums, which are only accessible during bankers' hours. Those of us with jobs (or, I suppose, classes on campus during the week) cannot arrange time to view the shelves and browse these books. Worse - the digitial library concept, in which books are warehoused without anyone having physical access, seems to be a failure. I requested a rare and out of print book (Black Yesterdays, the history of Canada's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders in the Second World War, a giant illustrated volume now fetching several hundred dollars a copy on the used book market) from the TFDL. The concept as it stands is that these kind of books are warehoused, then brought out of storage on request. I receieved a notice instead that the book was irretrievably lost. My research was stalled - halted, actually - because the library had simply "lost" an out of print book of enormous value. Books are worthless unless they are circulating. They should ALL be on shelves and available to be browsed, right there on the campus. Not shuttled off to satellite sites which are rarely open, or worse, warehoused. The digital library idea is a horrible one.

God.. I love this place…read more It feels great to be on the U of C campus and in a building that reflects the year 2011. With hundreds of computers, private quiet study areas and get these -- ultimate collaboration rooms, AND a Good Earth Cafe coming soon -- what's there not to like?? (Fine that it's on the U of C Campus). This is a beautiful building, full of buzz and student synergy. If you're looking for a place to study you can easily access this place by train and utilize one of the computers.

We love our local library!…read more The librarians are wonderful and so helpful. Miss YY is so fun! My 5 yr old is in a wiggles and giggles story time program at the library currently. She has the best time. Miss YY sings songs and read stories. The children have a ball. After the program they play and interact with each other. I just love how this is fostering such a positive outlook on the library for my child. She can't wait to go to the library. When I was a child I loved the library but I was a bit scared of the librarian. I see adults and teens on the computers every time I go. The giant chess board is always in use by teens. The children's area has some toys and a play mat. Something for everyone. Come spend a couple hours at the library!

I'm not sure how old this branch of the CPL is, but it feels very new. My home branch is the…read moreequally new-seeming one in Crowfoot, and this one has a nearly identical look and feel to it, though it's a little smaller and appears to have a smaller collection. Also in comparison to the branch in Crowfoot, this one doesn't have quite as many seating options (due to the smaller size), though it still more than fits the bill for a few hours of work, study, or reading.

Staff are very knowledgeable. I enjoy browsing the used books in the basement. They have a great…read morevariety of kids books. My partner was able to locate some used books here that we couldn't find at the library, or the waitlist was way too long. Most used books are in almost new condition. Some used books are as low as $8 per book which a great deal. There is no bathroom in the bookstore (my little one had to go!) staff informed us we could use the theatre bathroom (next door).

I was referred to Pages Books from another bookstore while searching for a used book, and I'm so…read moreglad I stopped in. This store is amazing--truly a book lover's delight! They have a great selection of both new and used books. When I asked about the title I was looking for, the staff member at the front quickly located it for me, which I really appreciated. They even have a bookstore kitty, which made the visit extra charming. Definitely worth a stop if you love books!

i went to thisLLibaryand then i boroowed dvds and tried to have a loan of their lap top and the…read moreassitant asked me for my address in a reallyaggrssive manner and then she told me not to use the computers at the Libary not at all and there was every assitant near the desk watching as well barry price

I'm going to be in town for the summer, with a lot of research and reading to do, and I'm so…read morethankful for having found this facility to do it in! It's spacious and well-lit, with plenty of comfortable seating and good wifi. It also has a separate quiet study room (in case you find the noise made by people browsing books distracting?? I don't quite understand this). I can't vouch for the book selection here just yet, but I will say that the variety of magazines available is solid. The only slight complaint I have is that, on the two occasions I've been here so far, it has been a little on the cold side.