CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Public Library is making major changes to its 40-year-old facility that will help it expand to meet the growing needs of the community.

That first round of renovations was completed in August.

Leslie Pallotta, library director, said the circulation and reference desks were merged into one main central area. Two sections of computers were combined into one lab in the library’s alcove area.

A wall was taken down to enable the teen area to expanded.

The library closed Aug. 19 to 21 for the work and reopened Aug. 22.

The initial round of work was funded by a bequest from a longtime library supporter and Sherwood Oaks resident Margery Himes, 89, who died this year.

From Himes’ $30,000 gift, $20,000 paid for the improvements and $10,000 was put into an endowment to benefit the library, Pallotta said.

“I like the renovations of the library. I think it makes it even more customer friendly and adds more space to provide more services,” said township Supervisors Chairman Bruce Mazzoni, a past library board member.

“The goal of the library is to expand its services, and I know they had a huge increase in their summer reading program for kids.”

Mazzoni said library and township officials have discussed the “library of the future.”

“The goal is to better define those needs to take advantage of any future opportunity to expand or even build a new facility independently or on conjunction in some partnerships. We are trying to define our library needs for the next decades,” he said.

“I personally am a big supporter because the library is really the first ‘learning opportunity’ for most children and a great bonding experience for children and their parents,” Mazzoni said. “Our library is a big reason why Cranberry was rated the best place to raise kids.”

Pallotta said this year’s circulation of lending materials is 320,000, up about 20,000 items from last year.

The biggest area of growth in the past few years has been in programming and continuing education.

“Programming is going to continue to get bigger for kids, teens and adults,” she said.

This spring the larger project, estimated to cost about $460,000, will start in conjunction with renovations planned inside the municipal center.

The library plans to convert its large meeting room into four small, private spaces for studying or tutoring.

The library will move its large meeting room into what is the township’s preschool. The preschool will move into space formerly occupied by the police department.

The library project will include new heating and air-conditioning systems, roof repairs, electrical upgrades and construction of an outdoor reading garden.

That project will be paid for with a $230,183 grant from the state’s Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, which will be matched by the township, Pallotta said.

Jerry Andree, township manager, said the staff looked at the center’s heating and cooling systems, electrical, roofing and other exterior components.

This was undertaken to confirm the building is economically sound to continue to invest in it instead of building a new building.

“We will be making a report to the board of supervisors in the next month or so on the results of that evaluation and will be presenting some recommendations on capital improvements that should be included in this next expansion project, which includes the library expansion,” said Andree.