MUNSTER | Library patrons will see changes at the Munster branch over the next six months as the building on Calumet Avenue undergoes a $1 million rehabilitation.

Overhaul plans include a new roof and an upgraded heating and cooling system to the 1967 structure. Patrons will see new landscaping with a resurfaced parking lot and upgraded outside security lighting.

Interior changes include new porcelain tile in the entrance way, flooring, carpeting and lighting.

The facility's state-of-the-art circulation desk plus 22 new public computers, including 10 equipped with Internet access, are major highlights.

When the project is completed, teens will have a designated area and younger children will have a separate programming room, complete with a child-size sink for craft activities.

Munster's branch has about 100,000 volumes and the new built-in display cases will showcase some of its collection, said Linda Dunn, branch manager and program director.

"We're looking forward to all of the changes," Dunn said. "I do think the public will be very pleased and it is going to present well."

In January, children programs are to be cancelled during construction and the adult programs will be scaled back, Dunn said, adding the Dyer-Schererville branch could serve as a backup location.

Notations will be in the monthly newsletters, she said.

The Munster branch upgrade is part of a $29.6 million bond the Lake County Public Library system received in 2002 to make its 11 branches more user-friendly, said Ana Grandfield, assistant director, Lake County Public Library.