Summer heat is intensifying and disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. Libraries are important public spaces where people can seek respite from the heat; branches across the HPL system are designated “Cool Places” as part of the City of Hamilton’s Community Heat Response Strategy. HPL is partnering with McMaster’s School of Earth, Environment & Society (PhD student Chris Heidebrecht and her supervisor Dr. Bruce Newbold) to explore how people use the library during extreme heat.

Through a survey administered in library branches on extremely hot days, this project seeks to understand whether and how regularly community members rely on libraries as a place to cool down, what they value about it as a cooling space and what could be improved, and reasons why they may not use the library as a cooling space. Insights gained from this work will allow HPL to improve the services it offers as a “Cool Place” and will also be integrated into Chris Heidebrecht’s PhD work exploring availability, accessibility and needs regarding cooling resources in Hamilton.