In the University City neighborhood, Walker’s Walnut Street West branch shut its doors in early June due to a broken air conditioner and remained closed until late July. The branch’s air conditioner is at least two decades old and had become less reliable in recent years, Walker said. The branch also closed several days last summer due to cooling issues.
“[The air conditioner] has been sort of limping along for quite a while,” Walker said. “It finally just kind of needed resuscitation.”
With the branch closed for weeks awaiting contractors and parts, patrons missed out on storytime, literacy and science programming for kids and a community space where neighborhood groups meet, Walker said. They also lost access to public computers that can be used for job applications or paying bills.
“It sort of erodes trust in libraries that we’re open and that we’re reliable,” she said, “and that you can promise your family that you’re going to go on a certain day, or you can decide … to do your resume, or someone’s going to be able to help you with your LIHEAP.”
“We’re just not there,” she added.
Collins, the librarian at Oak Lane, said its closure interrupted the library’s relationships with neighbors.
“We’ve got older people who maybe we’re some of the few people that they see each day,” she said. “I think just having that personal interaction was missed.”