"It looked like it was raining in the library," said Karen Hein, Northampton Area Public Library director of operations.

The Northampton Area Public Library has been closed since March 6 following water damage to the interior believed to result from a roof leak.

It's expected that insurance will cover repair costs.

It is uncertain when the public library will reopen. The reopening will take place after repairs and safety inspections are made.

Library patrons are asked to hold onto any library materials until the reopening. No late fines will be imposed.

About three dozen books were damaged. A determination of the condition of the books and other items won't be known until protective plastic tarps are removed.

"It was fortunate that the staff was on top of it and we were able to get the tarps in there to cover things up," said Judy Odenwelder, Northampton Area School District board member and library representative to the school board.

Book shelves must be checked.

The public library has 62,000 items, including books, DVDs and CDs.

"Everyone is, of course, concerned about what happened there and very interested in when we will be reopening," said Odenwelder, who is also on the public library board.

Light fixtures were damaged. Electrician Mike Cook assessed replacement cost.

Sullivan Oil and Propane, Bath, was on site to determine what heating and ventilation ducts will need to be replaced.

"After all those beautiful renovations had been made," said Hein, referring to last summer's improvements that included a new service desk, furniture, carpeting and paint.

The library was closed on the Friday when the damage was discovered.

Recalled Hein, at about 1 p.m. (March 6), "one of the girls stopped in to get something and she called me to say I needed to come over because the roof was leaking."

When Hein arrived at the library, she saw two rows of ceiling panels in the main library that had already fallen down.

A roofer from Four Points Construction, LTD, stopped by that day.

The leak was attributed to a buildup of snow and ice that had blocked a drain.

Additional damage was noticed March 8 in about half of the main library and part of the children's library.

A ServiceMaster crew stopped by twice to pick up tiles, soak up water from rugs, place humidifiers and wrap books in plastic.

An adjuster from Longley Insurance Agency assessed the damage March 9.

The leak apparently happened in the area of a seam of the roof between the addition and the original library, built in 1965.

The library roof, which is flat, was resurfaced.

The library board held its meeting in the library March 11.

The library plans to celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer.