By Sophia Herndon
The University of Maryland Facilities Management team is currently restoring air conditioning to McKeldin Library after multiple buildings across campus lost air conditioning last week.
According to a statement released by the Division of Student Affairs, last week’s unseasonably warm temperatures in College Park impacted South Campus Dining Hall, McKeldin Library, the Eppley Recreation Center and Ritchie Coliseum.
While air conditioning was restored for South Campus Dining Hall, Eppley Recreation Center and the Ritchie Coliseum later in the week, McKeldin Library still does not have air conditioning, with an ongoing project to replace the chiller units.
These chiller units, which provide cooling to the building, will replace two units that died last year. A spokesperson for UMD Facilities Management told Stories Beneath the Shell via email that the new equipment was ordered in the fall of 2025.
Because of the warm temperatures, the library, which is usually open 24 hours a day, closes early. The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning team coordinated with library facilities staff and provided cooling to various areas of the McKeldin Library for this adjustment period.
According to the spokesperson, the project is necessary to ensure the long-term reliability of the cooling systems.
The released statement says the new equipment’s cooling in McKeldin Library is scheduled to be operational on Friday, April 24. The spokesperson said mid-April is a moderate weather period, and weather forecasts should return to normal temperatures this week.
Haley Levin, a senior biochemistry and neuroscience major, usually goes to McKeldin Library on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for her studies. But when she noticed the library was abnormally warm last week, she decided to study at the Edward St. John Learning and Teaching Center to avoid the heat.
She first heard about the outage through her roommates, which led her to avoid the South Campus Dining Hall.
“I wasn’t going to the dining hall because I didn’t want to sit and sweat,” Levin said.
Levin said she thought the university could have sent the announcement sooner about the outage, but said the university’s messages did a good job explaining the outage issue and recovery process to students.
“They’re doing what they can,” Levin said.
She said she thinks UMD has done a good job of getting the air conditioning on, as the response to the dining hall outage was timely. She thinks the university is doing a good job at actively trying to fix the outage at McKeldin Library.
On Wednesday, students around McKeldin Library expressed similar opinions. Students said they found discomfort with the library’s cooling outage and looked for new locations to study. Many thought the university’s response to restoring air conditioning was relatively timely.
Featured Image: McKeldin Library on the evening of April 22, 2026. Photo by Paige Trendell