NORTHAMPTON — After months of supply chain hiccups delaying Forbes Library’s new air-conditioning system, central cooling is expected to return to the library within the next few days.

The replacement of the library’s end-of-life cooling system was approved last fall as part of a larger $1.6 million capital improvement program that included general renovations across the building and construction of a new Youth Programming Room.

The HVAC work was expected to be complete in mid-May until shipment delays hit, according to Forbes Assistant Director Molly Moss. She explained that while supply chain issues have significantly delayed the HVAC system’s commissioning, or “turning on,” the library has installed temporary air-conditioning units to moderate the temperature.

While she does not think that the temporary cooling system is strong enough to be considered a cooling center in the heat wave expected to hit starting Wednesday, Moss said she expects to be able to keep the building open.

“We’re really hoping that it’ll happen by the end of the week. The contractor has put in temporary air conditioning, so we’re able to keep the building open,” Moss said. “We have huge industrial air conditioners in the reference room, and then we have smaller standing units scattered throughout the building to try to keep it temperate for both patrons and staff. We’ve had to occasionally close the second floor because [the air conditioning] just can’t keep up. We have a large volume of air that we’re trying to cool down, and it’s really hard to do it on the second floor.”

When record-breaking heat hit the region earlier this month and with another heat wave this week with temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit, Forbes Library Board of Trustees President Kathleen “Katy” Wight said she is hopeful the library can be used as a community cooling center for any future heat waves this summer.

Wight cited a “series of unfortunate events” that significantly delayed the project, including challenges bringing pieces of equipment into the building and back-ordered parts being delivered with error codes.

“We’ve been monitoring it and are very hopeful that things will be resolved in the next couple of days. It’s unfortunate that it’s carried on so long, and we’re now entering into a second heat wave where we will probably have to close the building again,” Wight said. “There are a lot of people who rely on [the library] as a cool place in hot weather. I think everyone involved is really hoping we can get it up and running.”

Moss echoed Wight’s remarks, adding that she was grateful to library staff for their persistence and hard work in what she described as difficult conditions.

“Our staff have been amazing. It’s not easy working in these conditions, and they’ve been really wonderful,” she said. “We’ve been putting out water for patrons and fans all over the place, and all the air-conditioning units, but we just have a wonderful staff.”