One Down, Three Cooling

The news is not good. One of the HVAC roof top units (RTU's) is no longer functioning. With a price tag of about $5,000 to fix and the HVAC Replacement Project specifications and bid package slated to go before the Board of Trustees tomorrow night, the Library will limp along with three functional units. The age of the RTU that is down is a factor in the cost of the repair, making replacement parts expensive and difficult to find.

Please be aware that this will only exacerbate the problem of hot and cold spots in the Library, as the remaining RTU's struggle to keep the temperatures down in the building. Because our antiquated control system does not allow for granular control of air handling, the options for dealing with this problem are limited.

Wear layers and bear with us as the Library addresses its aging infrastructure issues.

Too Hot or Too Cold, Never Just Right

The Library is again experiencing a problem with the HVAC. One of the roof top units (RTU's), the one that cools the Large Meeting Room, Storytime Room and Outreach Office, is not working. It's pretty warm down there!

Due to the HVAC control issues, since the summer heat wave ended, it has been too cold in the Library more often than too warm. The control system does not allow for finite or area specific adjustments.

Needless to say, it's impossible to keep a comfortable temperature in the Library as the systems are failing. Thankfully, the replacement of the HVAC system is on the Board's agenda for Wednesday, August 29.

Infographic: Why Support Your Local Library?

FIND A LIBRARY NEAR YOU

FIND YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY
INFORMATION INTEGRATED
WITH GOOGLE MAPS

DATA SOURCE: IMLS

Sources:

• ALA Library Fact Sheet
• Bureau of Labor Statistics - Data
• Bureau of Economic Analysis
• Northwestern University Libraries information
• MIT Library Data
• Institute of Museum and Library Services
• Census.gov - Public Libraries in the U.S. 2009
• ALA - Funding Technology Access Study
• Volunteer Match - Engaging Volunteers
• Pew Internet - Libraries, patrons & ebooks

• ALA Quotable Facts - American Libraries
• Harrison County Library - Facts and Figures
• Stanford University - Library Facts
• Library of Congress - Fascinating Facts
• Libraries for Real Life
• Houston Library - Facts
• Library Journal - Annual Library Budgets Survey
• ALA - State of American Libraries Report - 2012
• NationalService.gov - Benefits of Volunteering
• ALA - Library Operating Expenditures

Thank you to StateStats.org for providing this infographic and other free web guides and tools.

Nine Reasons to Save Public Libraries

I just have to share Emmily Bristol's take on today's public libraries and why they matter:
Nine Reasons to Save Public Libraries

Here in Plainfield, we wish we had enough space to do #8 effectively, but the others are all applicable to your Library. Over 4,000 participated in Summer Reading this year alone and 1,00 attended the Grand Finale event. Your Library is so much more than books on a shelf.