Chestnut Hill Library Good Alternative To Closed Mount Airy Branch

The Free Library of Philadelphia's in Mount Airy could be closed until January due to heating issues, meaning the Chestnut Hill branch might be a viable alternative.

The Lovett branch was closed this week, and there have been a variety of estimates as to when it could reopen. A sign on the library door Monday indicated the library could be closed until Jan. 3 because of the heating problems. Library staff said Monday parts for an existing heater were ordered five weeks ago but have not arrived, so at this point, the library building cannot be brought to an adequate temperature.

A message on the library branch's official Web site indicated it will need to be closed until Jan. 18.

Anne Humphreys, who oversees city libraries in North and South Philadelphia, said the Jan. 3 date is potentially overly optimistic, and said the goal is to have the library reopen by Martin Luther King Day.

"Often our problem is our systems are so old and idiosyncratic," Humphreys said.

Because so many of the library system's 52 branch buildings are so old, she said, many have their own heat exchanger, and parts for them cannot always be obtained quickly and easily. Also, because of the way the city budgets money for its libraries, many purchase requests have to be specifically approved by the city, and that process takes time.

Because of general cuts to the city's libraries, the system has had to adapt.

"We just learned to function doing less with less, and part of that is the general repairs," Humphreys said.

The South Philadelphia library branch has also been closed for the same reason. Both Lovett and South Philadelphia were without heat throughout the fall, but were forced to close this week because this weekend's chilly weather caused the buildings' internal temperatures to drop below 65 degrees. City regulations stipulate that once a municipal building's temperature remains below a certain level, it must remain shuttered.

Humphreys said attempts will likely be made to assign the library's services to other locations. For now, book requests already made to the library will be processed by the at 8711 Germantown Ave.

For nearby library service, customers can go to the Chestnut Hill branch, to the Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library at 68 W. Chelten Ave. or to the West Oak Lane branch at 2000 Washington Lane.