Branches to take over when Wellesley Free Library’s main building undergoes renovation

The main Wellesley Free Library building will be closed from the end of April until early September for renovations designed to modernize the facility with a more dynamic and interactive space for kids, more space for meetings, and even an area where you’ll be allowed to eat or drink.

In anticipation of the main library building temporarily closing, the Fells and Wellesley Hills branches will reopen in mid-April to provide express browsing, holds pickups, and materials returns, with extended hours offered, according to Cara Rothman, assistant director of the library. Reference and circulation assistance will be provided, too.

“New and popular titles will be moved from the main library and brought to the branches, and as new materials are processed they will be available through the branches,” Rothman says. “We will also receive deliveries at the branches from other Minuteman libraries to fulfill patrons requests.”

Virtual programs, technology training, ESL classes and reference assistance will continue to be available throughout the closure.

wellesley free library renovation

During the mail library shutdown, note that interlibrary loans outside of the Minuteman Library Network will be suspended. Also, the Library of Things will go into storage on March 15 and resurface in the fall.

When the main library reopens you can expect to see a transformed Children’s and Youth Room that welcomes  more exploratory play. The current Media Room on the first floor will become The Commons, with seating, and large meeting rooms to provide a space for eating and drinking (the media collection of movies and music will be relocated to the second floor. The Periodical Room will share space with the Large Print collection. The second floor will gain more meeting rooms, seating and study areas, and the adult collection is being shifted to accommodate these changes.

the commons wellesley free library
A rendering of The Commons