Woburn Public Library To Reopen Aug. 3 Amid Labor Battle

WOBURN, MA — Woburn Public Library will reopen to the public on Aug. 3 with regular hours, the city said Thursday.

The library will operate at 40 percent capacity to follow state social distancing guidelines. Visitor counts will be limited and masks will be mandatory, among other safety protocols.

The announcement comes amid a labor battle at the library that has played out partially in the public eye, with the city seeking to lay off or furlough as many as 17 of the library's 25 staff members. Staff members said the city's reopening proposal appears to involve bringing back at least some staff for some hours, but the full staff's jobs have not been guaranteed.

Patch has requested more information on staffing and the reopening plan and will update this story when we hear back.

“This is an extremely exciting moment for us, and I’m thrilled to see the public will once again be able to walk through the doors of Woburn’s crown jewel, a facility that is both historic, state-of-the-art, and loved by so many,” Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin said in a statement. “Over the past few months we needed to exercise caution, and understandably so. I now believe safety and public use of our library can go hand in hand.”

“I’m delighted that this is happening,” Library Director Bonnie Roalsen said in a statement. “Once we reviewed past foot traffic against the state’s guidelines on social distancing for Phase III, we knew we have a facility that can reopen provided we follow proper safety protocol. This will be an important day for Woburn, and for the mission of all public libraries.”

The library will be open nearly 60 hours per week, the city said.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.