Worcester Public Library closed Friday after attack on staff member

The Worcester Public Library will be closed on Friday after a patron attacked a librarian, the city manager said.

A patron at the main branch of the Worcester Library stuck a library staff member with a skateboard in an unprovoked attack, City Manager Eric D. Batista said in a statement.

Officers from the Worcester Police Department responded to the situation, he wrote. The staff member’s injuries are not critical. 

The library closed early on Thursday so the city manager and the library’s executive director could meet with staff about the incident, Batista said.

Batista said that staff members have received training on trauma informed de-escalation techniques and that the safety of library employees and patrons is of the “utmost importance.”

“Violence is not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” he wrote in the statement. “The Worcester Public Library will remain an open and welcoming place for all members of the community, but this sacred space and those who operate it must be treated with respect, honor, and dignity.”

The incident remains under investigation. Worcester police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Announcement: The Worcester Public Library will be closed to the public Friday, August 9 following an incident.

Learn more: https://t.co/BPAfbMUAJN pic.twitter.com/mYVL5nY7og

— City of Worcester (@TweetWorcester) August 9, 2024