Dalhousie University. University Libraries. Killam Memorial Library

Corporate body (Dalhousie University)

Dalhousie University. University Libraries. Killam Memorial Library

• Killam Library

CAN-NSHD/1617-02

1971-

Killam Memoiral Library was the outcome of a campus development plan in the mid 1960s that acknowledged the need for a new university library, and the timely bequest of Dorothy Killam, who died in 1965 and left Dalhousie $32 million.

Leslie R. Fairn received the architectural contract for the new library, although NSTC professor of architecture Ojars Biskaps is considered the principal design architect, working closely with the new University Librarian, Louis G. Vagianos. The primary decision-maker behind the library's design philosophy, Vagionos had a vision of a library that served Humanities and Social Sciences students and strengthened the quality of education at Dalhousie through a single, continuous operating unit centred around the provision of public services.

Built by Fraser-Brace Maritimes Limited, work on the Killam Memorial Library began in 1966 and was completed in 1971 at a final cost of $7.3 million, 80 per cent of which came from a provincial self-liquidating loan. The library officially opened on 11 March 1971, with a special convocation and a week-long celebration of the arts, including a symposium with Alex Colville, Harold Hamer, John Hobday and Alden Nowlan; an exhibit of nineteenth-century French paintings on loan from the National Gallery; an Isaac Stern violin recital; and a performance by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. During the dedication ceremony, the keys to the library were exchanged five times, from contractor to architect, to the chairman of the Board of Governors, to President Henry Hicks, and finally to Louis Vagianos.

The 230,000 square foot building was designed to eventually accommodate 8000 undergraduate and graduate students, a faculty of 750 and library staff of 130. With a capacity for one million books, it was equipped with conference rooms, reading areas, telex equipment, public typing rooms and a conduit structure wiring each room to the basement's computer centre. The auditorium was named for Archibald McMechan, Dalhousie English professor from 1889-1933 and the university librarian from 1906-1931. An open courtyard was the principle source of light and intended to enhance traffic patterns. The design attempted to be inherently flexible and adaptable to future changes in computer and communications technology. The Killam, as it came to be known, won a 1971 Nova Scotia Association of Architects Design Award.

Finished in pre-cast concrete similar to Dalhousie Arts Centre, the Killam exemplified modern architectural and decorating features. Henry Hicks, a skilled cabinetmaker, pushed for the use of Brazilian rosewood in the interior, while Basil Cooke, a geologist and Dean of Arts and Science, recommended the micaceous slate tiles on the ground-level floors. The fourth and fifth floors initially contained departmental offices and the third floor housed the School of Library and Information Studies. In the early 1970s, the University Archives moved to its location on the fifth floor, where it remains along with Special Collections. When the Macdonald Library closed in 1990, the science collection was moved to the fourth floor.

In 1996, a glass roof enclosed the courtyard, creating an atrium, and the stone floor was restored after years of exposure to the weather. A coffee shop was introduced and the ventilation and lighting systems were replaced. In 2002, the first floor of the library was remodelled to house a Learning Commons with computer workstations, support services, offices and group meeting rooms. Later renovations included two additional Learning Commons, the GIS Centre; a graduate students' centre; the Collider, a multimedia room; and the Academic Technology Services offices. The Killam also houses the Writing Centre; the Centre for Learning and Teaching; and the Office of the Dean of Libraries.

Killam Memorial Library is located on Dalhousie's Studley Campus.

Killam Memorial Library holds a large collection of academic resources for computer science, humanities, management, sciences and social sciences. It also houses the University Archives, Special Collections, Dalhousie University theses, microforms and music collections, and offers services such as large-format and 3D printing and an IT help desk.

Killam Memorial Library is managed by a head librarian who reports to the Dean of Libraries. Heads have included Sarah Stevenson (2018- ).

Dalhousie University. University Libraries (1867 -)

Dalhousie University. University Libraries. MacRae Library (2012-)

Dalhousie University. University Libraries. Sexton Design and Technology Library (1997-)

Dalhousie University. University Libraries. W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library (1967-)

Dalhousie University. University Libraries. Sir James Dunn Law Library (1967-)

Killam, Dorothy Johnston (1900-1965)

Final

Full

• English