Huntington Beach : Despite Blackout, Library Patrons Not Left in Dark

For the past week, Huntington Beach Central Library has been lending flashlights as well as books.

The 290,000-volume library--one of the largest in Orange County--has been shrouded in darkness for nearly a week, ever since a bolt of lightning struck a nearby power pole and incapacitated the library’s electrical transformer last Saturday.

“It was noontime, just a typically busy Saturday, when the power blew,” said Ron Hayden, public service librarian. “In some places, it was completely dark. People pulled out Bic lighters, which sort of upset the Fire Department.

“So we issued 20 flashlights, which our patrons used if they wanted to find a book.”

Meanwhile, the library--with the aid of the flashlights, several skylights and an auxiliary power system that lights only parts of the building--has managed to remain open during the daytime.

On Thursday, however, the library shut its doors at 2 p.m. because it was too cold. Hayden said regular patrons were walking through the library with ski jackets and mittens on, and one complained that it was “cold enough to hang meat in here.”

Then, too, the lack of flashlights may have had something to do with the early closing. Like all libraries, Huntington Beach Central has a lending problem: of the 20 flashlights loaned, only four have been returned.

Despite the darkness, Hayden said, patrons have been fairly tolerant of the situation.

“A lot of them are die-hards,” he said. “They come in here no matter what.”

But, Hayden said, there have been some complainers.

“Believe it or not, we’ve had people who have been here for several hours come up to us and ask, ‘Why don’t you turn the lights on?’ ”

Hayden said one elderly man sat reading a book in the business section, one of the darkest areas in the library.

“He had the book’s binder about two inches from his eyes,” he said. “One of our staff people happened to be passing by, and the man looked up and said, ‘Mind if I make a recommendation? Would you mind turning the lights on?’ ”

Library officials hope to have the power restored by this afternoon or Saturday. A new transformer, carrying a $30,000 price tag, is on its way, Hayden said.