Imperial County Free Library Branches Closed for Annual Inventory; Brawley Library Undergoing HVAC Construction

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. — Library services will be temporarily limited across portions of Imperial County this month as county-operated library branches close for their annual inventory and the Brawley Public Library undergoes construction to address longstanding HVAC issues.

According to Imperial County, all Imperial County Free Library branches closed on Monday, Aug. 3, for the library system's annual inventory. The closure will continue through Friday, Aug. 14, with branches scheduled to reopen on Monday, Aug. 17.

The temporary closure affects the county library branches in Calipatria, Heber, Holtville and Salton City, where in-person library services will be unavailable during the inventory period.

Before the closure, the library system held a Fine Forgiveness Period from July 20 through July 31, allowing patrons to return overdue library materials without overdue book fines. Fees for certain damaged returned items totaling up to $25 were also eligible for forgiveness, although the program did not apply to previously assessed fines or lost materials.

Meanwhile, the Brawley Public Library is closed for construction from Aug. 3 through Aug. 14 while the City addresses longstanding HVAC issues and unreliable cooling capacity.

Despite the closure of the Main Library Branch, library services will continue at the Del Rio Branch, located at 1501 I Street in Brawley, during its published operating hours. The City also said the Main Library Branch will continue to operate as a hydration station for community members needing water.

In a news release, the City said the Brawley Public Library has not been designated as a cooling center for several years because of its longstanding HVAC problems and unreliable cooling capacity. According to the release, although many residents believed the library was serving as a cooling center, its limited cooling capacity has prevented the City from operating it as an officially designated cooling center.

The City also addressed questions about other potential cooling centers. According to the release, the Lion's Center and Teen Center are currently hosting summer recreation programs for children through this week and therefore cannot operate as cooling centers at this time.

City officials said they are actively evaluating whether any facilities can be safely and effectively offered as temporary cooling centers for the remainder of August after the summer recreation programs conclude. The City said it will provide updates to the community as soon as additional information becomes available.