As you may have heard, the Hyannis Public Library is in in the midst of a major fundraising campaign. It is not just to renovate this historic old building; it’s turning it into the cultural hub of Hyannis.

For airlines, trains and buses, Hyannis serves as an axis for Cape Cod. It is centrally located. It’s our most urban place, and as such, it’s also a focus for human services — and it has the largest population on Cape Cod that needs them. Once upon a time, Hyannis’ Main Street was also a major shopping hub. It still is, of course, but when the mall was built it took a lot of the consumer traffic off the street.

Malls had the same impact on small towns across the country. Then large boxes, usually located on the outskirts of cities, did not open in their centers. So Main Street has all kinds of shops and great places to eat. But it has no central location, no place where people can gather year-round to learn and be entertained.

Enter the modern library. Yes, libraries are still centers of literacy, places where knowledge is stored in print. We have had that, but now we have the chance for more. Much more.

The last time we had a heavy rain, our library floor was littered with trash cans and plastic tubs to catch the water that dripped in from the roof. It had been a long time since anyone had been able to open the windows in there. So absolutely, it’s time to get the place properly renovated.

Full disclosure: I don’t even live in Hyannis anymore but when I met llibrary director, Antonia Stephens, she was such a force of nature, so full of ideas and enthusiasm, that in an instant I found myself joining the board. That’s when I learned of the library’s plans to reinvent itself as the cultural hub of Main Street.

You see, it’s not just about renovation: it’s about conversion: not only reshaping the building – but its enormous potential for community service. It’s about expansion of what it can do.

Remember the Hyannis library “Public” is their middle name. The heart of the expanded library will be a flexible meeting place for multiple uses. That’s what the place lacks now: a generous open space where the community can come to do things This heart of the library becomes the heart of Main Street.

IT’S AT THE LIBRARY! When this space exists, the imagination opens up. Poetry evenings with young and senior poets collaborating and then offering public readings… public forums on all sorts of issues… multicultural book fairs, film screenings, a study center for local students and teachers, rehearsal and gallery spaces for artists.

Teenagers will have their own wing to study and hang out. The meeting room flex will even have a spring floor for motion-based events.

There are many wonderful services that the library already provides. Local children and their parents will not only find a staffed and well-stocked library with children’s books, but regular story times, toys for the little ones and easy access to an attractive playground right outside – Lek Oasen. It is not only a creatively designed recreation area for children; it is an additional venue for visiting storytellers and other activities. Meanwhile, there are ongoing cooking classes in nutrition, English lessons for people who want them, and foreign language books for people while they learn.

Duck inside the door and you’ll find a well-stocked fridge and boxes of fresh fruit for visitors who might go hungry without it. All this and more, yummy in the heart of Main Street. Given the facility as it is, there’s already a staggering array of good stuff. But finally, it’s time to help the Hyannis Public Library reach the full 21^St century potential.

Just imagine. Anyone interested in any of the offerings and activities at the library will be drawn into the heart of town and then happily emerge, hands in pockets, to do a little shopping, maybe take everyone out for lunch or dinner somewhere. This is the gift that keeps on giving.

Of course, none of this happens for free. The library may be halfway to raising the $8 million needed to do all of this. An anonymous donor has already stepped in and given the project a flying start.

I see this in terms of inheritance. The people who see this mission across the finish line will have created something beneficial, and not just for everyone living in the community now. We will create something that young children who hear stories in the library today will grow up to use and benefit from for the rest of their lives – and their children after them. Heritage.

If I have piqued your interest—and I hope I have—just visit the Main Street Library and seek out their director, Antonia Stephens. Or call for an appointment. We will build it together and then benefit from it for the rest of our lives.

Lawrence Brown is a columnist for the Cape Cod Times. Email him at [email protected].

This article was originally published on the Cape Cod Times: The Hyannis library upgrade will add to the services it already offers