Submitted by Kyle DeCicco-Carey, Millicent Library Director
The recent closures of the Millicent Library have been brought on by the heat waves combined with the lack of air conditioning in most of the library.
The Reading Room, Lewin Room, stacks, youth services and circulation areas, where a lot of activity takes place, have no access to a cooling system.
When the library was expanded in 1968, air conditioning was installed in part of the new construction; the Rogers Room and a staff work area. An air conditioning unit was added to the director’s office in the mid-1970s and no longer functions.
When I was hired as the director in the fall of 2020, I began having conversations with the library trustees about the need for a centralized HVAC system with no effective way to circulate air in light of COVID-19.
In addition, adding air conditioning would give comfort to the community and staff during the summer months. It would also bring better environmental conditions to the library collections, archival collections and artwork that is at risk in hot and humid conditions.
We began investigating ways to bring air conditioning to an historic building to meet modern needs while preserving the library’s historic integrity.
Last year, we began meeting with HVAC professionals and architects to discuss options for air conditioning. In these meetings we learned such a project would be possible but may take time as architects and contractors catch up on projects due to COVID delays.
We have been monitoring the environmental conditions in the library. Temperatures in the building during open hours since mid-July have reached as high as 88.2°F and relative humidity levels as high as 72%.
According to an OSHA technical manual relating to heat related illness, “Heat-related fatality cases show that workplaces with temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit may have a heat hazard present when work activities are at or above a moderate workload.”
OSHA guidelines note that wet bulb globe temperatures of 70 to 77°F as possibly unsafe and above 78°F as a high risk of heat related illness. Wet bulb globe temperatures in the library have exceeded 78°F on several occasions.
Staff tend to be active in the library with a lot of movement up and down stairs to retrieve books from the stacks and downstairs storage, helping patrons around the library, and physical tasks at the circulation desk and around the library.
During these periods of high temperatures staff have noted mild feelings of dizziness, nausea, and headaches, discomfort due to sweating, as well as tiredness and irritability.
Closing the library is not something we want to do. We have been trying different strategies to cool the building such as adding extra fans, opening and closing windows and shades based on the position of the sun, and adding dehumidifiers near staff workspace. These strategies do not always work during periods of high heat and humidity.
Window air conditioning units are not an option for several reasons such as proximity of outlets to windows, uncommon window sizes, the amount of space to cool, and the security of the building.
Until air conditioning becomes a reality, we are exploring more options to make conditions safe for staff and patrons and to minimize closures.
For updates to our hours or closings please follow us on Facebook, visit our website at MillicentLibrary.Org, or call 508-992-5342, extension 115.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
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