BPL says Copley AC system not broken, but had to be shut off due to unrelated construction work

Update: Copley workers are steamed.

Boston Public Library officials say they're hopeful they can turn the air conditioning back on in the new wing of the Copley library early next week after work is finished on a project to rebuild a loading dock at the library - although they caution that, as with any construction project, there could be delays.

BPL spokeswoman Lisa Pollack said this morning that the library turned off the AC to minimize any possible problems with debris from the loading-dock work getting into the library mechanical room that houses the AC equipment - for example, "chunks of concrete falling and hitting active steam pipes."

Library guidelines require shutting down any time the inside temperature gets to 86 degrees, which has been happening a lot of late, given that it's now June and all. Pollack said the old McKim wing tends to stay cooler than the newer wing along Boylston Street - perhaps not surprising given it was built in a time before air conditioning, plus, it doesn't have giant sunlight-absorbing plate windows - and so librarians have been able to mostly keep that end of the library open.

Pollack added that the lack of AC in the main parts of the library have not affected the more fragile books and items in the special-collections department, because that has its own HVAC system, which has not been affected by the shutdown.