Nine days after the Boston Public Library found itself part of the crime scene as law enforcement investigated the Boston Marathon bombings, the landmark Central Library received its all-clear and reopened on April 24. Shortly afterward, BPL President Amy Ryan emailed the following thank-you note to library colleagues (care of ALA, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Urban Libraries Council) for the outpouring of empathy and support BPL staff have received:
Greetings to my Library Colleagues,
We were glad to have Copley Square Library open yesterday, the first time since the Marathon. All agreed, staff and the public, it was great to have Boston’s Central Library up and running once again. I am proud and deeply grateful to our branch colleagues who responded to the tragedy by opening their doors to the communities we serve across the city on the days following the marathon. Our staff all pitched in as many managed to work remotely, visit the branches, volunteer in the branches, place special book orders on recovery and healing, and generally keeping the BPL going.
I want to also heartily acknowledge the outpouring of support from you and libraries around the world. Your kind messages meant a lot to all of us at BPL.
Thank you.
Amy Ryan
President
Boston Public Library
