Boston’s John F. Kennedy Library & Museum reopened Wednesday morning, a day after five federal employees were suddenly terminated .

Director Alan Price said the employees, who were all employed for less than a year, were let go as part of the Trump administration’s directive to cut probationary employees nationwide. The five workers all received emails from the National Archives, the agency that manages presidential libraries, saying their jobs were gone, effective immediately. Price says he got the news at the same time his employees did.

“A lot of staff are surprised and saddened. All wonderful people and incredibly skilled,” Price said.

The laid-off employees primarily worked at the main ticket counter, and remaining staff had no formal training on the ticketing system. As a result, Price said the library decided to close around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Patrons who were already inside visiting had to be escorted out.

For now, the Library & Museum is waiving the admission fee, which is $18 for an adult, until they can adequately staff the front desk.

“We will be free to all visitors until we cross train other staff members,” he explained. Price says his federal team of workers remains at 26.

On Wednesday, library patrons told GBH News they wanted to support the staff who were let go. Katie Voss and her husband were visiting Boston from upstate New York with their 13-year-old son during school vacation week.

“We had a whole agenda set, but once I learned about the closure of the JFK library, we added it to our list because it was a must,” Voss said, adding that she wanted to expose her son to presidential history after seeing the impacts of the current administration’s decisions. “[I’m] very frustrated. I mean, why are we closing these national institutions down? What is the purpose?”

Liz Horton and her 13-year-old granddaughter Vea were among the visitors on hand when the doors opened Wednesday. Vea said the library’s closure feels like a lesson. “Because it’s telling history. And if you are restricting telling history, then you know that quote, those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it,” she said.

Library leaders say they’re hoping to bring back the workers who lost their jobs.