Digital players preloaded with audio books, meeting rooms and colorful signs are just the beginning of big changes coming to the Renton Library this spring.

After annexing to the King County Library System in February, the Renton and Highlands libraries are getting new furniture, carpets and paint.

KCLS will be sporting those designs, along with re-opened community rooms, at an open house May 1.

“The Highlands is going to be completely different,” said Angelina Benedetti, who oversees Renton’s libraries.

At first the changes were mostly internal with the exception of extended hours.

An early April computer system changeover marked the integration of the two library systems.

“That usually takes months to do,” said KCLS director Bill Ptacek.

Volunteers spent countless hours in March attaching new barcodes to each of Renton’s books, Benedetti said.

As April ends, the changes are growing more visual.

Security gates in the entry were taken out. An island of librarian desks will be removed to open up the space.

Sparsely filled “hold” shelves near a self-use checkout stand show a library streamlining its process.

Patrons are putting more holds on books in Renton, especially as Fairwood Library users transition to downtown, she said.

Bright new signage orients patrons to different sections by color. In line with a KCLS promise, there has been an influx of new books.

In April the library ordered anywhere between 1,200 and 1,600 new books, Ptacek said.

In late March, local bloggers found the recycling dumpster outside the library was filled to the brim with hand-torn paperback books.

Renton has been tearing and tossing books forever, Ptacek said.

“They were apparently going through a bunch of them at one time,” Ptacek said. “We’re a public entity, so we just can’t give them away.”

Books go through a whole process to be removed from the system.

Many of them go to the KCLS Foundation, which sells them through an online distributor, but even that requires first surplussing the books at a central office and the oversight of a state auditor, he said.

Benedetti added about 90 staff hours to keep the library doors open longer, which has boosted patron visits, she said.

New furniture is expected in early June. It’s the only thing holding up the installation of about 20 new public computers.

“It’s absolutely necessary,” she said. “It’s one of the high demands we have.”

About 10 other computers have been replaced, and free printing services were set up.

While under the city rule, the librarians were slowly cleaning out a large room filled with storage. KCLS sped up the process and plans to open it to public use May 1.

“There are so few places for people to gather for free,” Benedetti said.

The libraries are in the planning stages for their programs. The first one will start this summer with a kids reading program.

Trademark programs, such as English as a Second Language, SAT and citizen classes, will start to emerge in late summer, she said.

Saturday’s open houses will feature family oriented performances and several KCLS and City of Renton officials will available to talk.

Coffee from the nearby Liberty Cafe and cupcakes from Common Grounds will serve as light refreshments.

The new meeting rooms will be open for viewing.