Halifax Central Library | 27 m | 6 fl | Completed

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

I think it's easily the most beautiful library in Canada.

We obviously ha ve different understandings of the word "beautiful".

It is hardly that. It is cold and uninspiring. The design is literal and obvious.

The point of libraries is not to be "beautiful" in any event. It is to be repositories of knowledge. On this the library fails miserably. With its emphasis on video games and noisy performing arts, the serious researcher needs to go elsewhere to carry out their work.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

We obviously ha ve different understandings of the word "beautiful".

It is hardly that. It is cold and uninspiring. The design is literal and obvious.

The point of libraries is not to be "beautiful" in any event. It is to be repositories of knowledge. On this the library fails miserably. With its emphasis on video games and noisy performing arts, the serious researcher needs to go elsewhere to carry out their work.

To each his own, on aesthetics. I was just explaining the reasons why the library keeps winning accolades. Seems most people agree with me and disagree with you on the library design, and the library is wildly popular by every possible metric.

Libraries are no longer mere austere temples to dusty books; they've become essential community gathering places -- they're the new secular forums for civil association, replacing the local churches and community groups Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about in "Democracy in America", which he believed were so essential to the vibrancy of early American democracy. People come to public libraries to associate, to learn, to read, to participate, to share, to interact, and it's fantastic.

Libraries are today not only the temples of books and public knowledge, but democracy itself, Keith. And it's a great thing.

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Libraries are no longer mere austere temples to dusty books; they've become essential community gathering places -- they're the new secular forums for civil association, replacing the local churches and community groups Alexis de Tocqueville wrote about in "Democracy in America", which he believed were so essential to the vibrancy of early American democracy. People come to public libraries to associate, to learn, to read, to participate, to share, to interact, and it's fantastic.

Libraries are today not only the temples of books and public knowledge, but democracy itself, Keith. And it's a great thing.

Then why are they generally frequented only by CBC-loving denizens of the left? Most people never set foot inside the place. It caters to a very tiny minority.

[counterfactual]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Then why are they generally frequented only by CBC-loving denizens of the left? Most people never set foot inside the place. It caters to a very tiny minority.

If by "very tiny minority" you mean over twice Nova Scotia's population?

New Halifax library draws 1.9 million visitors in first year
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1...-in-first-year

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

If by "very tiny minority" you mean over twice Nova Scotia's population?

New Halifax library draws 1.9 million visitors in first year
http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1...-in-first-year

Those are the same 1900 people who go 3 times a day. You cannot trust stats released by self-serving depts of govt to prove who invaluable they are.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Those are the same 1900 people who go 3 times a day. You cannot trust stats released by self-serving depts of govt to prove who invaluable they are.

Even if you are more temperate in your assumptions and presume that the ardent library supporters frequent the place only once a week, that figure of 1.9M visitors might work out to only 36,000 repeat customers, which is less than 10% of HRM's population.

Keith therefore is probably right, the vast majority of library patrons are probably latte sipping south end NDP/CBC types...........

[Drybrain]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Those are the same 1900 people who go 3 times a day.

I'm trying to figure out if this is self-satire or a genuine statement.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

With its emphasis on video games and noisy performing arts, the serious researcher needs to go elsewhere to carry out their work.

In my experience it's actually a great place to carry out serious research. The local history section in particular is very easy to study in. And the building is large enough and has enough separate "areas" that the noisier people/activities tend to self-separate from the quite/focused ones. I'd certainly rather do research there than at the very "functional" (though inconveniently located) municipal archives, an analogous "repository of knowledge".

I'll admit it was a bit weird the one time I showed up and there was a full orchestra playing (!), but it was a short performance and didn't really impact my visit other than making it a bit surreal. Most people who don't want outside distractions just wear headphones anyway.

[terrynorthend]

Lol. When I heard the accolades bestowed upon the library, I came here for this. Was not disappointed.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Keith therefore is probably right, the vast majority of library patrons are probably latte sipping south end NDP/CBC types...........

The real latte sippers are in the North End. They drink coffees you've never even heard of!

(incidentally I remember one of the baristas at the library* explaining to a customer on opening day what a "flat white" is... he basically told him that it's an overrated hipster drink and not to order it)

*(yup I'm aware of how painfully hip this sentence is)

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

If by "very tiny minority" you mean over twice Nova Scotia's population?

*Very tiny minority of the >6 billion people on Earth - accurate.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by counterfactual

Huh? Dude, really?

I think it's easily the most beautiful library in Canada. The only one that presently rivals it is the Toronto Reference Library; but Halifax is far nicer.

It's actually something you'd more likely find in Europe, where they take this stuff seriously, hence the Danish designers.

And the outside patio on the roof, with the cafe, is the cherry on top. Just an absolutely brilliant and beautiful design, which gives users an entirely new perspective on the city and the surrounding landscape.

It seems like whoever chose the top 10 has certain architectural preferences - the buildings all have certain things in common. A different list could easily have included Vancouver's library instead of Halifax's.

Interestingly, the Danish firm involved with the Halifax library also had another, somewhat similar, library on that top 10.

[pblaauw]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

We obviously ha ve different understandings of the word "beautiful".

It is hardly that. It is cold and uninspiring. The design is literal and obvious.

The point of libraries is not to be "beautiful" in any event. It is to be repositories of knowledge. On this the library fails miserably. With its emphasis on video games and noisy performing arts, the serious researcher needs to go elsewhere to carry out their work.

By that measure, A LOT of libraries all over the world are failures in your, uh, book.

SIXTY-TWO FAILURES: http://mentalfloss.com/article/51788...iful-libraries

[eastcoastal]

Originally Posted by pblaauw

By that measure, A LOT of libraries all over the world are failures in your, uh, book.

SIXTY-TWO FAILURES: http://mentalfloss.com/article/51788...iful-libraries

To be fair, I don't think Keith said that if a library was beautiful it was a failure... therefore, a list of beautiful libraries wouldn't AUTOMATICALLY make them all failures in his opinion.

That said, I suspect he'd bemoan excessive use of funds in almost all those cases to glorify knowledge.

Also: the bit about the prefabrication of our Library of Parliament was new to me... very interesting!

[OldDartmouthMark]

As is typical, the same detractors offer an interpretation of the stats with no actual information of their own to support their assertions, and then throw in a couple of generalizations about the patrons based on their own personal prejudices. It's difficult/impossible to take them seriously - a joke, really.

[JET]

Mark, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like Donald Trump that you are referring to?

[OldDartmouthMark]

Originally Posted by JET

Mark, correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like Donald Trump that you are referring to?

Yes, that's him!

[Keith P.]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

As is typical, the same detractors offer an interpretation of the stats with no actual information of their own to support their assertions, and then throw in a couple of generalizations about the patrons based on their own personal prejudices. It's difficult/impossible to take them seriously - a joke, really.

Things that do not fit the media-approved narrative are often mocked until they are shown (grudgingly, usually) to be accurate.

[portapetey]

.

I'm glad the library is getting lots of recognition. I don't see it as a great beauty myself, but I'm happy it's so well-loved.

And very well used.

[portapetey]

Originally Posted by Keith P.

Things that do not fit the media-approved narrative are often mocked until they are shown (grudgingly, usually) to be accurate.

.