Call them burned bookworms.
Visitors to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Flatbush branch were heated after a broken air conditioning system forced the book lender to cut its hours for the rest of the season on July 24, flaring up those who use the facility as a cool escape from the summer sun.
“I said to myself, ‘What am I doing here? Why did I come?’ ” said patron Jesenia Sealy. “I thought it was supposed to be somewhere cool and it’s the opposite!”
Library officials are working with the city’s Department of Design and Construction on a $1.5-million project to replace the location’s heating and cooling systems, but there is no set date for repairs to begin, a spokeswoman said.
The shortened schedule is intended to protect visitors and staff from extreme heat, according to the book lender’s rep, and massive fans were installed in lieu of air conditioners to help curb the branch’s temperature.
The new operating hours, from 8 am to 1 pm on weekdays and from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays, will remain in effect through Oct. 2.
A learning center attached to the library at 22 Linden Blvd. adopted a similar schedule as a result of the busted air conditioning, except for on Tuesdays and Thursdays, when it is open from 12:45 to 8 pm.
But the fans and reduced hours are not enough to stop locals who rely on the branch from sweating bullets when they visit, according to a regular.
“It’s definitely not optimal,” said Ellee de Baun, a Prospect–Lefferts Gardens resident who uses the library to study. ”It’s disappointing, because it’s really hot.”
Readers who seek a more comfortable experience should visit nearby locations, including the Windsor Terrace, Crown Heights, and Cortelyou branches, the spokeswoman said.
