Bookworms won’t have to suffer through a long, hot summer at the Dyker Heights library because the city is going to replace the branch’s 37-year-old-air conditioning system — but they’ll have to go two months without its services before they can feel the cool.
The neighborhood’s branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, located at the corner of 82nd Street and 13th Avenue, will be closed beginning on April 18 so that a new air-conditioning system can be installed.
The new system is being installed because library officials fear the old one might not hold out during the summer months.
“It will ensure that we are not forced to close because the branch is too hot during the summer,” said Malika Granville, a spokeswoman for the library.
During the closure, readers will be able to return books to branches closest to Dyker Heights, including Bay Ridge on 72nd Street and Ridge Boulevard, McKinley Park on 68th Street and Fort Hamilton Parkway, New Utrecht on 86th Street and 17th Avenue and the recently re-opened Fort Hamilton branch on 94th Street and Fourth Avenue, which was closed for more than a year longer than scheduled during a recent refurbishment.
That delay had some wondering if the latest library upgrade could put the building out of commission for longer than expected.
“I really hope that this runs on schedule,” said librarian Eileen Kassab. “I have a list of events that are planned to happen.”
But library representatives say the work will be completed on time because it’s a simple process.
Regular users of the library say they won’t mind the closure — as long as it results in a cooler library — and they still get access to books.
“It can get very warm in here,” said Fran Erickson, who claims she visits the branch every two weeks. “As long as we have access to other libraries, it’s fine.”
The library, which opened in 1973, has never had its ventilation system upgraded.
