Detroit Public Library faced with costly repairs for its buildings

Detroit's public libraries are a daily resource for thousands of people, but behind the scenes, many of the buildings are showing their age. 

At the Skillman branch, which is currently closed for repairs, the impact is already visible.

"Well, our library system buildings are fragile. I mean, they're old. We don't have any major infrastructure issues that cause emergency repairs, but they're reaching critical, critical status," said Antonio Brown, chief financial officer for the Detroit Public Library.

Library leaders say they're now launching a full assessment of their buildings to determine what repairs are needed and how much it will cost. Early estimates put that price tag as high as $300 million, driven by issues many visitors may never see.

Brown says some of those repairs include replacing air conditioning units and boiler systems.

While the need is clear, how to pay for it is not.

"I don't believe we can make it on our own. I think it's going to require us to have a joint effort," said Brown.

City officials say they do not establish the library system's budget; instead, they collect and pass along revenue from a voter-approved property tax.

For people who rely on these spaces, the stakes go beyond buildings.

"People come and utilize our library system in a plethora of ways. For us to close down a branch means that we're denying services to the people that need our services the most, and we just can't have it," said Brown.  

Library leaders say it could take months to determine the full scope of repairs and even longer to figure out how to fund them.