WENDELL - The Wendell Community Library closes for renovations Jan. 28, but patrons will still be able to access books and programs, said library manager Linda Wilkes.

The $250,000 to $300,000 construction project includes a new roof, replacement of the library’s heating and cooling system and a more efficient layout.

After the library shuts its doors later this month, preschoolers can attend Storytime and More at the Wendell Community Center Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. from Feb. 1 through April 11. Families will also be able to check out children’s books at that time. The Community Center is located at 601 W. Third Street.

And the library’s adult book clubs will continue to meet while the library is closed.

In the Spirit will meet the first Sunday of the month at the East Regional Library in Knightdale.

Two other clubs – the Monday Afternoon Club, and Book Talks for seniors – will meet at the Eastern Wake Senior Center, which is located next to the Wendell Library on Hollybrook Road.

The Monday Club will meet the first Monday of the month at 1 p.m., and the senior club will meet at 10:30 a.m. on the last Tuesday of the month.

The library’s four staff members will work at other libraries throughout the county while renovations are completed.

The 5,000-square-foot library on the west side of Wendell escaped permanent closure when county commissioners cut funding in 2009. After county department heads submitted budget reductions, commissioners agreed to keep the library open, Wilkes said.

The structure, built in the mid-eighties, houses a number of creative programs for children and adults a year, and the branch circulates about 5,000 books a month, Wilkes said.

“To say our programs are quality is an understatement,” she added. All the programs geared toward children and teens include a hands-on project, typically art-based, “that other branches may not offer,” she said.

Authors often visit the book clubs for adults, she added. Other popular programs for adults include crafts, and seminars on topics such as genealogy and finding money for college.

“We unfortunately have to close, but it will be worth it,” Wilkes said. “All my staff and I can’t wait to reopen. These (patrons) are our customers.”

“We have a strong following in the community,” she continued. “This is their library.” Many families include stops at the library in their weekly routine, Wilkes said.

The library is tentatively scheduled to reopen May 1, but it could be sooner, Wilkes said. Staff members will hold a ribbon cutting and perhaps a program to mark the event, she said.