It forms the main component of a three-tower complex that also includes the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the Claude T. Bissell Building, which houses the Faculty of Information.

The steel-framed windows are situated onto the bays protruding from the façade, and are reminiscent of overhanging towers in medieval castle architecture.

The bay windows seem to elevate upwards, opening up the two lowermost levels into voids enclosed with steel-framed glazing, making these elements seem lighter than they really are.

To stretch further one's imagination, it is as if these elements are elevators that transport the "scholar[s] anxious to escape the noise and turmoil of the vulgar press [into]… a dream palace enshrining in its holy mysteries the power of the word.

The renovations were intended to create a welcoming environment that would both provide informal study space and function to let people know about the services and resources available throughout the building.

The next phase of the renewal was the addition of a five-storey pavilion which would become a new face of Robarts, opening up the west side of the building to the street, bringing a flood of natural light to the lower floors and making the overall environment more inviting, accessible and productive for students.

A 1974 article in the Canadian Architect magazine outlines the library's significance to serving a campus community the size of a town, as well as by being a central storage for humankind's recorded thoughts and inspiration.

[14] In addition to an extensive collection of texts, the library provides limited after-hours study space to students during the academic year with the exception of weekends.

The entire building is visible numerous times, having been digitally edited and transplanted from its downtown Toronto location to Los Angeles.