As my colleague Sharon Otterman reported, the design element that distinguishes the library — cascading indoor terraces connected by stairs — cannot be reached by people who cannot climb to them.

[New library is a $41.5 million masterpiece. But about those stairs.]

There are other problems.

The staircase and bleacher seating areas in the children’s section have been roped off because parents voiced concerns that their height might pose risks for small children.

There is only one elevator, often creating bottlenecks, Ms. Otterman wrote. The area for parking strollers is too small and too narrow, which can result in hectic congestion.

“It’s chaos,” one parent said during the library’s 10:30 a.m. toddler story time.

Lack of accessibility is a persistent issue in New York, especially for the city’s subway system.

A senior partner at the firm that designed the building called the accessibility problem a “small wrinkle in an incredibly successful project,” and said the firm has begun brainstorming ways to address the issues, which may include retrofitting the library.

Activists found that reaction lukewarm and dismissive.

“To me, that is the response of somebody who never had the experience of going somewhere and not being able to fully participate,” said Christine Yearwood, founder of the disability rights group Up-Stand. “Part of what universal design is about is allowing everyone to independently enjoy spaces.”

What can be done?

The architects might want to look to the “Being Human” exhibition at the Wellcome Collection museum in London, hailed by some as the most accessible museum space in Britain, if not the world.