Philly libraries are vital community hubs. Many struggle to keep their heat on

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The Widener Library in North Philadelphia stayed open late several days last week, welcoming anyone who needed a place to get out of the biting cold.

But last Wednesday, when temperatures hovered between 11 and just 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the library’s doors stayed shut. A paper sign on the door read, “Closed due to building emergency.” The branch, which had served as a warming center the previous three days, was shuttered because of heating issues, according to the Free Library of Philadelphia’s website.

Shopping in a corner store nearby, Fleitte Newell described the Widener Library as a “haven”  for people experiencing homelessness, for young people looking for something to do after school and for elderly people waiting for the bus.

“It’s a good resource for us to have in our community,” Newell said. “You close that, we don’t have anything.”

The Widener Library reopened the next day, but its problems with heating are not unique.

Last year, 29 library branches closed at least once because of heating issues or a combination of heating and other issues, according to data provided by the Free Library of Philadelphia. Most branches closed for just one or a handful of days, but several branches shuttered for weeks at a time. At one point in mid-November, nine branches were closed at once because of heating issues.

Fewer branches have closed due to heating issues so far this year, but the HVAC problems have not stopped. Charles Santore Library in South Philly closed for weeks after issues arose with its heater early this month, and Cecil B. Moore Library in North Philly shut its doors last week due to a broken HVAC system.

The heating issues are just one of several challenges hampering the libraries’ ability to serve their communities. Library branches closed frequently last year due to short staffing and faced a range of other building issues — including damage from an earthquake, a leaking roof, plumbing issues and a sewage cleanup. Last summer, 20 libraries closed due to broken or inadequate air conditioning. Several branches are also closed for long-term renovations.

“We have beautiful buildings, some historic, and in leaner years they have not been as maintained as we would like,” said Free Library of Philadelphia spokesperson Mark Graham in an emailed response to questions. “We are working on issues in real time, but are also looking ahead to investing in our libraries for the long term.”

Safe places shuttered

Libraries are a key part of the city of Philadelphia’s strategy to keep people experiencing homelessness safe during extremely cold weather. When temperatures dip below certain thresholds, the city declares a Code Blue, which triggers enhanced street outreach services, adds additional shelter beds and, this year, opens warming centers with extended hours at some rec centers, senior centers and libraries.

“Some people come in here just for a warm place,” said Cecil B. Moore Library staff member Sierra LaFosse, speaking as a member of AFSCME DC 33 Local 696. “Some people come here to eat.”

But during last week’s cold snap, the Cecil B. Moore library, which was not an official warming center, was forced to close due to heating issues. Its HVAC system dates back to the 1960s when the library was built and often fails to keep the library within the temperature guidelines set by the city, said staff member Kate Goodman, a member of AFSCME DC 47 Local 2187.

“We’ve been limping along both in the winter and the summer,” Goodman said. “Now it’s finally on its last legs.”

When HVAC issues shutter the library, it means the loss of a place that welcomes everyone, said Karen Asper Jordan, president of the Cecil B. Moore Philadelphia Freedom Fighters.

“It’s a place that you can feel comfortable and safe,” Asper Jordan said.

This safe space is especially important for young people, said Jordan Holbert, founder of It’s All Connected Coaching and Consulting, a youth and education lead at Brewerytown Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition and coach of the Vaux Big Picture High School football team near the Cecil B. Moore Library.

“When the library is too cold or too hot to open, there’s kids that can be any age — from 6 all the way up to 18, 19 —  that are out of school without someone at home and without a safe place to go,” Holbert said.

Many patrons can’t just go to another branch, Goodman said. Many library users are young or elderly, lack access to convenient transportation or have physical or intellectual disabilities.

“The libraries are not interchangeable,” Goodman said. “When I have children who are walking from around the corner to come to our afterschool program and I say, ‘Go to Widener,’ it’s a mile away — which might seem close for somebody who has access to a car … but it’s not accessible to our kids.”

Computer access and other essential services lost

Patrons use computers and the internet at Cecil B. Moore Library to apply for SNAP benefits, housing and jobs, staff said.

“The things they’re using the computer for are life-saving resources,” Goodman said. “It’s not just people coming in and looking at Instagram, it’s people who possibly could even get kicked out of their housing if they’re not able to access the computer or miss a job interview.”

Newell, who’s gone to Widener Library since she was a child, has used the branch to study for electric, plumbing and carpentry certifications. Now that she has a young granddaughter, the pair check out books together at the library, including one recently on learning Swahili.

“When it’s closed … we don’t have nowhere to go for the research,” Newell said. “We don’t have anywhere to go to question for knowledge.”

Libraries offer after-school homework help and literacy programming for kids of all ages. They also offer cultural programming — for example, programs about the lawyer and civil rights activist Cecil Bassett Moore and other ancestors of the local community, said Cierra Freeman, administrator and leader for youth and education at the Brewerytown-Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition.

“I appreciate that space for just making sure to tie in the cultural needs of the community and giving folks a place to explore that,” Freeman said.

Staff worried about losing patrons’ trust

Even branches with new HVAC units have not been immune to heating issues. The Charles Santore Library in South Philadelphia closed early this month after staff smelled gas near the boiler, which was installed just last year, said staff member Lindsay Friedman, speaking as a member of DC 47 Local 2187.

Continued issues with repairs kept the branch from reopening for weeks, forcing staff to cancel an English conversation group, clubs for chess, knitting and video games, a job search program, story time — which typically draws 150 people each week — and daily after-school homework help, Friedman said.

“The kids just have nowhere to go, and there’s no way to communicate that to them,” she said.

Staff are rarely kept in the loop about the timeline for repairs, Friedman said, which makes it difficult for them to explain the situation to library users. She worries the long interruption in the library’s operations will harm relationships with patrons.

“I don’t know how to build that trust back,” Friedman said.

Fixing libraries’ HVAC systems

In order to open, libraries in Philadelphia must be within a temperature range set by the city. During the winter, library buildings can be no colder than 67.5 degrees.

Because many libraries have older HVAC systems, when they break, replacement parts can be hard to source, extending the time it takes to repair them, said Free Library spokesperson Graham in a statement. Outstanding payments to and delayed invoices from HVAC repair contractors this past fall also delayed some maintenance.

“Our Finance Team and Property Management worked with many parts of the City to expedite a resolution,” Graham said. “After that, all our contractors went back to work.”

Despite these challenges, the Free Library replaced and repaired several HVAC systems in the past year, Graham said, and plans to replace “many” more over the next five years. All libraries currently experiencing heating issues are being repaired, said Sharon Gallagher, a spokesperson with the city Managing Director’s Office.

“Everyone here at the Free Library and our partners in the City of Philadelphia know that libraries are essential community hubs,” Graham said. “We are working on the facilities and hiring processes to keep them open, safe, and fully staffed into the weekend.”

There’s already been some progress on that front, Graham said. Library buildings were open 15% more hours in fiscal year 2024 than they were the previous fiscal year, he said.

Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration seems to have a “new awareness” of the need to keep libraries functioning, said Linda Colwell-Smith, co-chair of the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

The capital program City Council approved last year earmarks more than $54 million for capital improvements to the library system over the next six fiscal years. Of this, $8 million will go to HVAC projects, a Free Library spokesperson told WHYY last year. Colwell-Smith plans to advocate for more money for library facilities during this year’s budget season.

“They know there’s a problem,” Colwell-Smith said. “The response has been stronger as far as trying to keep the branches open and keep the heat on.”

But at some branches, like Cecil B. Moore Library, community members see progress as too slow. The library is set to undergo renovations, including new HVAC and electrical systems through the soda tax–funded Rebuild program. Work was initially scheduled to start this past summer, but the city’s website lists the project as in the “Design and Community Engagement” phase, with “interim improvements complete” and additional improvements “pending.”

Community members have pushed for more funding to expand the Rebuild project at Cecil B. Moore Library. Now they’re demanding a clear timeline for renovations, public updates and community involvement in every step, said Freeman of the Brewerytown-Sharswood Neighborhood Coalition.

“There really shouldn’t be a hold up,” Freeman said. “We want renovation, now … Every day of inaction is a failure to serve the residents of North Philadelphia.”

To Holbert, the continued facilities issues at the library are part of a long pattern of disinvestment and wasted potential.

“The narrative around North Philly … it’s unfair. You can’t take everything away from people for generations,” Holbert said. “My pops grew up here, and the same problems that my grandmother was fighting for and advocating for, for my dad, for my aunt, for my uncle, are the same things that I’m now turning around and advocating for my students, for my scholars, for my scholar-athletes and for kids I don’t even know.”