[Michlib-l] Compilation: Library as "Cooling Center"

Wed Jul 17 15:12:26 EDT 2019

Hello all!

Thank you to everyone who responded!  Here is the compilation of the
feedback I received on libraries serving as community cooling centers,
offering what services/programs, and under what circumstances.

For reference, our community is slated to hit mid-90s of base temperature
with heat indexes approaching or exceeding 100 degrees over the course of
the next several days.  We've decided to open from 3-8pm on Friday, offer
"Captain Marvel" on our projection screen in meeting room from our movie
license, and ice water from a large insulated beverage cooler with cups,
lids, and straws donated by local chain restaurants (we have McDonald's,
Arby's, KFC, and Taco Bell).  Our city hall and local senior center are
also serving as cooling centers, and our local Tractor Supply Company will
clear a center seating area and offer bowls of cool water to anyone who
wants to visit a leased pet.

Here is the original post:

In the last several years, I've been slowly developing procedures related
> to the library serving as warming center and also cooling center.  I'm
> happy to share what I've developed, but I'd love to see what you might have
> in place?
>
>    - When do you offer ice water or other cooling refreshment?
>    - When do you add programming and for who (kids only or
>    multi-generational)?
>    - When do you extend hours?
>    - When do you open on regularly closed days?
>    - When do you okay overtime (if ever)?
>
> Because there will hopefully be responses and/or discussion from multiple
> states, so that we have some idea for comparison, please include:
>
>    - your official service population and/or number of staff, AND
>    - whether you are consider urban, suburban, rural, or super rural/tiny
>    library.
>
> Note: For those of you in very warm climates, please note that we are in
> Michigan, so our definition of "hot" and "very hot" is relative.  Daily
> high temperatures in July are around 82°F, rarely falling below 73°F or
> exceeding 91°F.  We also regularly have upwards of 70% humidity, even
> without rain that day, which makes it all so much worse.
>

*Cynthia Stanczak*
Library Director
Albion District Library
501 S. Superior St.
Albion, MI  49224
(517) 629-3993

Albion District Library: Transforming Minds, Changing Lives.
Proudly serving our community since 1919.
Online at www.albionlibrary.org, or find us on Facebook!
_____________________

We are an urban library in Central Texas, with 4 branches. HOT means over
100 degrees F, and cold is anything under about 40 degrees F.

We are NOT a warming/cooling designated center. We’ve never done anything
particular for either type of threat, although we do tend to stay open
until the weather gets pretty nasty. If there’s a disaster, such as another
hurricane on the coast that drives many people inland, we would evaluate
the idea of extra hours or staff time to help people in shelters, etc…

Our Central Library is 2 levels (a ground floor and a basement), making it
an excellent shelter during tornado weather. We would remain open until a
tornado warning ended if it began while we were open. Other than that, we
don’t do anything.

Gillian Wiseman

_____________________

My smallish library (staff of 6, serving a low-income rural population of
20,000 over 600 sq. mi.) is always listed as a warming/cooling center.
There are few places in the county where someone could go just to stay warm
or cool--we're very rural.  We aren't expected to provide anything extra or
stay open late--I've asked and the emergency manager was surprised I would
think we needed to.

Last winter we needed to close due to snowstorms during our very, very cold
weather (wind chills of -45 degrees).  I asked our emergency manager if we
needed to post that one of her warming centers wasn't going to be available
and was told "no" because we aren't an *official *station, just a place
where people can go to get warm during regular hours.  We didn't see any
extra people during the weather, or else the snow kept them at home.  There
was an emergency shelter opened in town, but no one showed up.

Maybe it'll be different for the summer heat.  We've had some patrons
enjoying a sack lunch in our reading room with their shoes off.

Erin Foley
Adams County Library
569 N Cedar St., Suite 1
Adams, WI  53910
608-339-4250, ext. 641

*efoley at adamscountylibrary.info* <http://efoley@adamscountylibrary.info/>

_____________________

Hi! New Mexico library here. We are designated as a "cooling" station
primarily because we're open during the day, 6 days a week. However, we
don't do anything for the public beyond our regular programs. We don't
offer food or beverages (other than water fountains) or special
programming, just chairs, books and computers. We've always sort of
functioned this way, due to where we are (apparently on the surface of the
sun), but it's only been this year that the City has designated us
officially as a cooling center.

So far, we haven't had to extend hours since the hottest hours are usually
about 1-7 when the sun goes down (we're open until 8). However, we close on
Sundays in the summer and the City is considering having us open on Sundays
if the heat stays over 3 digits for an extended period (which it will
because, like I mentioned, surface of the sun). We would have to offer OT
or extra hours for PT staff if we do open up on Sundays, because it's not
currently on the schedule.

Our service population is approximately 100,000 people (City and county).
We are urban (but small), the next biggest city is about 45 minutes away
and it's about 800,000 people (city and county). We are in the desert, so
our average summer temps usually hover around 100 degrees. Today, I think
we're at 104. July and August are, in theory, anyway, our "monsoon" months,
so we sometimes get cloudy and humidity goes over 40% and the heat dips a
bit, but not much. Usually, it's just scorching hot.  And yes I have fried
eggs on the sidewalk. My cousin once baked cookies in her parked car
because she's extra like that.

We have two branches, but they're located in senior centers, which are
closed on the weekends, and if they do open up as cooling centers, it's not
on us to staff the locations, senior programs does it.

Hope this helps!

Margaret M. Neill
Library Administrator/Quality of Life/Thomas Branigan Memorial Library

Direct:  575-528-4017, Main: 575-528-4000, mneill at las-cruces.org

_____________________

See my answers below (purple). We aren’t an “official” cooling or warming
center but we do get mentioned on the news as being a place people can go
in extreme temperatures.

When do you offer ice water or other cooling refreshment?  No but some of
our location offer vending or a café where people can purchase
refreshments. All have water fountains and people are welcome to fill their
own bottles.

When do you add programming and for who (kids only or multi-generational)? We
do not add additional programming.

When do you extend hours?  No. Most locations are open 7 days a week so
this hasn’t been necessary.

When do you open on regularly closed days?  We do not open locations that
are normally closed on Sundays.

When do you okay overtime (if ever)? No

Because there will hopefully be responses and/or discussion from multiple
states, so that we have some idea for comparison, please include:

   - your official service population and/or number of staff, AND
   - whether you are consider urban, suburban, rural, or (my category)
   super rural/tiny library.  We are a 3 county library system in the
   Kansas City Metropolitan area and have locations serving about 800,000
   people in urban, suburban, and rural locations. Building sizes range from
   52,000 sq ft to 3,000 sq ft so we have some small, medium and large
   buildings.

Let me know if you have questions.

Susan Wray, Assistant Director & COO

Mid-Continent Public Library

15616 East US 24 Hwy

Independence, MO 64055

816.836.5200 | 816.521.7216

swray at mymcpl.org

www.mymcpl.org
_____________________

We're not an officially designated cooling/warming center, but we somewhat
function as one. We're considered "rural-ish" with about 15,000 people, but
being next to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam (Nevada), we get a lot of
tourist. We're also right next to the bus stop.

We don't do anything special, but are open 6 days a week (M-Th 9 AM until
8:30 PM, F 9AM to 5 PM, and S 11 AM to 4 PM) and keep our a/c at around 74.
Cold isn't as much of an issue here in Nevada normally. We have lots of
programs going on in the summer because of our SRP as it is and have water
fountains, bathrooms, computers/wifi, board games, and books. Many people
come in to get out of the heat. The building is slightly off the beaten
path for the main part of the town, but we still get lots of visitors.

We also have a max temperature we will allow the library building to get
before we shut down. Our AC has gone out twice in August in the 8 years I
have been here.

Samantha Bigger
Head of Information Services
Boulder City Library
702-294-5991

_____________________

We are an official cooling center during the summer months and
participate through Los Angeles County as a designated cooling center.
We report statistics to the County when we have an official heat
advisory. Because no additional funding is provided, we provide this
service as a courtesy to our community and surrounding communities
during regular operating hours. We are open 60 hours a week and have
public drinking fountains.

Please see below (purple):

   - When do you add programming and for who (kids only or
   multi-generational)? We don’t do anything additional.
   - When do you extend hours? We don’t extend hours beyond our regular
   operational hours.
   - When do you open on regularly closed days? We don’t. We don’t have a
   budget/staff to accommodate this additional service.
   - When do you okay overtime (if ever)? We don’t. We don’t have an
   overtime budget.

Because there will hopefully be responses and/or discussion from multiple
states, so that we have some idea for comparison, please include:

- your official service population and/or number of staff, AND – approximately
60,000 people in an 11.2 square mile area located 20 miles east of Los
Angeles.

- whether you are consider urban, suburban, rural, or super rural/tiny
library – suburban (next door to the east of Pasadena)

Darlene Bradley
Director of Library & Museum Services | City of Arcadia
20  W. Duarte Rd. | Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 821-5570 | dbradley at arcadiaca.gov

_____________________

I'm a late comer to this one.

When the heat index reaches 95 degrees, DC city government activates the
Heat Emergency Alert.  If it's the Hyperthermia Alert, it means there's
dangerous heat in the forecast.

The DC Public Library system (all 26 branches) is among numerous sites
designated as cooling centers in the city. Recreation and senior centers
are on the list too. We don't do anything special for services or hours.

Also, here's the DC Heat Emergency resource webpage:
https://hsema.dc.gov/page/heat-emergency-information

Elisa Babel, MLS
Adult Librarian
Juanita E. Thornton/Shepherd Park Library
7420 Georgia Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20012
202-541-6100/6025
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mail3.mcls.org/pipermail/michlib-l/attachments/20190717/dadbbf3f/attachment.html>