Huntington Beach : Patrons Display Warm Regards for Library

Patrons of the Huntington Beach Main Library are a hardy breed.

Last March, when lightning struck a nearby transformer, cutting power to the central library for a week, the library began lending flashlights along with its books and patrons combed the chilly stacks wearing mittens.

On Monday, library users faced a different but still taxing problem--no air-conditioning.

About 10 days ago, a part in the air-conditioning system’s chiller failed, said Ron Hayden, assistant director of the library. And until a $5,000 “impeller blade” arrives from New York, the air in the library will probably remain hot and stagnant, he predicted.

In the interim, the library has borrowed 15 fans from its annexes and staffers have brought in additional fans from home. Otherwise, “people are waving flyers to cool themselves,” and counting the minutes until the ice cream vendor comes by every afternoon, Hayden said.

Also because of the heat, staff members may now wear shorts, and a sign on the front door warns “heat sensitive” persons that they might want to return at a cooler time of day, Hayden said.

But even with no air conditioning, the library on Talbert Street is lending as many books as it ever has, Hayden said. “Schools are in. People still have to write reports,” he said. “It seems neither electricity or air conditioning failure keeps the people away,”

Still, until the air conditioning is fixed, Hayden and his staff have their fingers crossed. “We’re praying for a cold front to move in,” he said.