Until this weekend, patrons of the Hopkinton Town Library were looking forward to October.
The building turned 20 years old in June, but October – the month the town formally dedicated the library in 1998 – was to be a big celebration, with a plethora of activities lined up.
And a few weeks ago, residents showed their love for the library at its annual book sale, which Friends of the Hopkinton Town Library president Amy O’Brien said brought in $5,800. The money from the sale is usually used for programming, or for buying useful items like a projector.
But that was before lightning struck the cupola Friday night, starting a fire that left the building with pervasive smoke and water damage. It rained debris down into the center of the building, and while at first glance many of the books seem fine, the acrid smoke has crept into the walls, carpet and between the pages of hundreds of books.
Donna Dunlop, who has served as the library’s director for the past 10 years, described the damage as “mindboggling.”
“We’re going to have to replace almost the entire inventory. It’s like the ultimate weeding effort,” she said, referring to when libraries select old or unpopular books to make room for others.
“We’re going to have to” – she said pounding a shelf for emphasis – “get rid of all the dead wood.”
It’s unclear how long the building will be out of commission. But Hopkinton residents have always supported their library, and many said this time will be no different.
“We were looking forward to using those funds to make the library an awesome place,” O’Brien said. “Now we’ll have to start from scratch.”
Residents’ support for the library was plain to see even before the fire.
In 2017, the library circulated 74,930 items, just 100 items or so down from 2016’s numbers, according to this year’s town report. Other than last year, circulation numbers have pretty much grown since 2011, going from 67,717 then to 70,937 in 2015. E-books and audio materials have also grown steadily, as has the community’s use of the public spaces.
But before there was the Depot Road building, Hopkinton had two libraries; one where the town’s historical society is, and the other at the former Baker building, now known as the town clerk’s office. Both were small and “not adequate” for the community, said Susan Covert, who runs a daily news email service about town events.
To get to where they are now, Covert said the town raised money in a “very New England way.” For several years, people voted at town meeting to put money aside in a fund. At the same time, they engaged in a fundraising campaign that ultimately raised half the money needed to complete the project.
And already, she said people are asking what they can do to help the library. Covert has been directing them to send a check to the Hopkinton Library Foundation.
“It’s just an incredible community,” she said. “There’s a lot of young people here who want to raise their families. … It’s not a bedroom community, either. People are really connected.”
While there’s no bad time of day to be at the library, Dunlop said the busy hours, like adult and children’s programming, are some of her favorite moments. “There’s never a bad moment at the library,” she said.
Dunlop was working when lightning struck the building and was there late Friday night. She showed up again early Saturday to watch the cleanup crew, intercept unaware patrons and think about whether the library’s planned events could still continue in the community room, which was spared water damage.
Although Dunlop kept saying she would leave “soon,” she seemed to have a hard time doing so. “This place is my life,” she said. “I feel numb, like we’re in waiting mode.”
When Rachel Montroy of Hopkinton showed up to the library with her 4-year-old son Owen, she had a look of disbelief.
“This is crazy. I had no idea. We were just doing our regular chores,” she said. She was there to pick up a couple of interlibrary loan books on geology to help identify rocks her family sees during hiking trips. It’s not uncommon for her and her two children to come on rainy days like Saturday.
Adults in the house also get a lot of use out of the library. “My husband and I are teachers, so we regularly get books,” she explained.
“The library’s really important to us. We come here really regularly. We love the kids programs that they put on,” she added.
Ruby Fogg, 62, of Contoocook, a patron and neighbor of the old Bates Library, described the news of the damage as “heartbreaking.”
“I was thinking today there are so many people that use that library for internet connection,” she said. “They are there everyday. Everyday. And I just thought ‘Boy, that’s going to be missed immediately.’ ”
Since news of the fire, Fogg said she’s come to realize just how prominent the library is in her everyday life.
“At first I was thinking, well I only go once a month or something, and then I realized I go way more than once a month,” she said.
So does Jane Doherty and her two daughters, Hazel and Stella. While the summer months are mostly for outdoor play, she said her family visits the library in the winter two or three times a week.
Having moved from Manchester to Hopkinton four years ago, Doherty said she’s appreciative of the town’s quiet, connected nature. The first time she visited the library, she said she was offered a tour, even though “you can see the whole thing in about one glance.”
“It’s definitely a big part of the community,” she said. “A library is more than just books.”