The cozy, peaceful and not-quite-sleepy Woods Hole Public Library will be a bit busier after the library expanded its hours in mid-November. The library cut back on afternoon hours during the pandemic, but they are back, every day, by popular demand.
When the pandemic hit, the library cut its hours to 10 AM to 2 PM Monday through Saturday. It served its book-hungry and quarantined patrons through a kind of takeout window on the library’s ground floor.
Previously, the library had been open until 5:30 PM everyday except Sunday, and also had evening hours on Monday and Wednesday.
Library director Margaret McCormick said that, since people were mostly at home with little to do during the early months of the pandemic, “it seemed like the best thing to have people come out in the daytime and morning.”
The library reopened its doors in May 2021. Afternoon hours were reintroduced on Mondays and Wednesdays, but a recent patron survey showed that library devotees missed the daily late-afternoon as well as evening hours.
Under the new hours, the library now opens at 1 PM every day except for Wednesday, when it opens at 10 AM, and closes every day at 5:30 PM, except for Monday, when it closes at 8 PM.
“We were slow to go back to what I consider more normal hours,” Ms. McCormick said. “It’s something that should have happened last spring.”
Ms. McCormick said she is stepping down as library director at the end of the year. Librarian Kellie Porter will be taking over then. Readjusting the library hours will be one of Ms. McCormick’s final projects.
“I felt like it was important to get this done because I think things can just kind of keep going with the way things have been,” Ms. McCormick said.
Ms. McCormick said groups of students, parents, seniors and dog-walkers come in for books or to enjoy the space later in the day.
“[Patrons] said they missed Saturday afternoons,” she said. “It’s a good place to hang out.”
A note on the library website says patrons sent appreciative notes to the library, which “absolutely brightened all of our librarians’ days.”
Ms. McCormick said the library is a great resource for the community during the winter when tourism and nightlife has died down in Woods Hole and the restaurants start closing earlier.
“In the winter, things get quiet here,” she said. “There’s not a lot going on. But [the library] is not a tourist spot; it’s more about community.”
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.