OHIO — Cooling centers are open across the state and in many communities. The library is a “hot spot” for staying cool.

“It’s nice and cool. They’ve got the snacks for the kids and programs for the kiddos to hang out and socialize,” said mother Kimberly Roseberry.

A couple of times a week, Roseberry brings her children to the Fairborn Community Library.

While the summer brings plenty of time to play outside, when it gets extra hot, a cool relief is more than welcome.

“Our house usually gets up into the 90s anyway because we don’t have very good insulation in the house, so it’s pretty important to get them out of the house at least a couple of hours a day,” she said.

At the library in Fairborn, free snack packs are available for kids of all ages.

Libraries offer hydration stations to refill water bottles, they are filled with comfortable places to sit and quiet areas, and, of course, a lot of air conditioning to enjoy.

“We welcome everyone to come into the library, we have designated cooling station here so you can beat the heat and stop by the library and participate in summer reading and check out all the wonderful things we’ve got going on,” said head librarian Jessica Winegarner.

Many times in the summer, community libraries are places where families can connect to resources.

Monday through Friday during the summer, Fairborn City Schools offers free lunch for any child at the library and across the community.

“Nutrition is always important especially with the heat, keeping your energy and stuff up, and there’s nothing better than coming to the nice cool library and having a nice warm meal and a nice cold thing of milk to make your summer day,” said Jeff Greer with the Child Nutrition Service as he handed out lunch at the library.

Along with libraries, senior centers and rec center are also good places to check out if you’re needing to relax inside a cooling center.