Library to open on Sundays after student campaign
Westford Central Library will open on Sundays from next month, after a group of local students collected more than 3,000 signatures asking for longer opening hours. The library, which has been closed on Sundays for more than ten years, will open from 11 am to 4 pm, starting on the first Sunday in November.
The campaign was started in March by Leila Haddad, 17, and two friends from Westford High School. They needed a quiet place to study at weekends, because their homes were too crowded and noisy. “Many of us share a bedroom with brothers or sisters,” Leila explained. “The library is the only place where we can really concentrate.”
The students collected signatures outside supermarkets and at the town's Saturday market, and they also started an online petition. In September, they presented the petition to the town council.
Councillor Tom Bright said the council had listened carefully. “The students made a very strong case,” he said. However, he warned that the extra hours would cost about £40,000 a year, and that the decision would be reviewed after twelve months.
The library will need five new part-time staff for the Sunday opening. The jobs will be advertised on the council's website next week.