Library Air Conditioners Break; All Programs Canceled

Syosset Library has officially canceled programs for the next month as they wait for new air conditioning parts to arrive.

According to the Syosset Public Library website, all programs through June 24 have been canceled "due to lack of air conditioning."

The heat has been getting to library-dwellers as temperatures rise outside.

In a message to the community from director Karen Liebman, workers preparing the air conditioning system discovered it had been "severely damaged." 

"A 'chiller' - ours is a large piece of machinery that sits on the roof - takes 6-10 weeks to be produced and delivered," said Liebman. Chillers are not premade items that can be ordered from a stock, she said.

"We're cautiously optimistic that it wont take 10 weeks," said library director Karen Liebman.

"It's a difficult situation but we're doing the best we can," said Liebman. "Of all people, I'm the most unhappy about it."

As final exam season kicks in, the hundreds of students that flood the library's facilities may have to find other places to study. The library had closed last week multiple times as temperatures rose inside the building.

"We have a very large building and the windows on the upper level do not open," said Liebman. "We have some industrial fans going but at some point, people begin getting sick."

In Liebman's message to the community, she said they are hoping to get all the work done and have air conditioning up and running by early July.

Liebman encouraged those who come to the library to first check the library website or to call ahead at 516-971-7161. Liebman said any closing information is immediately placed on the site and a message is inserted into the phone menus.